Immortal
by TheLazyBam
Summary: While Kara and Lena struggle with their feelings for each other, Lena's old college roommate (OC) shows up after missing for 7 years. Meanwhile, Alex is visited by a strange creature.
1. Chapter 1

Lena Luthor wasn't really reading her e-mails. No, she had done that earlier. She was just scrolling. She had a million things she would like to do but she couldn't focus. How could she when she just had another one of those impromptu lunches with her best friend, Kara Danvers.

While most people had to schedule an appointment (and wait a considerably long time before they even get a proper appointment) with the CEO of L-Corp, Kara was the only person who could barge in, unannounced, without the danger of Lena's secretary losing her job.

"I'm stressed. I'm hungry. Please tell me you haven't had lunch yet." Kara had said, a desperate look on her face.

Lena had, in fact, already eaten lunch. But she there was no way she could say no to her best friend when she looked like a hungry puppy.

"Let me get my car.", was Lena's only response. And it earned her a beaming smile from her best friend.

Ten minutes later, Kara had ordered two burgers, large fries, a large milkshake, and somehow still had room for a couple of orders of pot stickers. Lena had a salad.

Twenty minutes later, most of which were spent by Kara complaining about work and then somehow also eating her meal, Kara had insisted on paying for both their meals and was now staring hungrily at the nearby donut stand. Three minutes later, Kara was munching on a donut and had 5 more inside her paper bag. Lena ordered another bottle of water.

It had taken Lena a bit of getting used to, in the beginning, when she realized that her best friend could eat for 3 people and still have room for dessert (for four people). When she asked how Kara could do it, Kara just shrugged and said, "I must have good genes.", before continuing to destroy another round of pot stickers.

Lena had insisted on driving Kara back to Cat Co. after lunch, which Kara declined, saying she could do with a walk. And while all her body and soul wanted to go with Kara, Lena was a consummate professional and knew that she had a business to run too. There were literally thousands of people under her responsibility and she couldn't let her wants be ahead of her people's needs. Kara, on the other hand, did insist on walking Lena back to the parking lot where they left Lena's car. In the two minutes it took for them to walk back to Lena's car, Kara had managed to hook her arm around Lena's and didn't let go. It took all of Lena's considerable self-control not to blush, to ignore the thousand butterflies that had suddenly decided to fly around her stomach. It was almost painful when Kara let go of Lena's arm to say goodbye.

_Thanks again for listening to me at lunch. I really like spending time with you. We should have a sleepover some time._

Lena smiled. Kara never forgot to text her after these lunches, or whenever they go out. It's one of her more endearing qualities.

_Sleepover sounds like a great idea. Let me know when you are free so I can arrange my schedule._

* * *

It had been almost an hour since she got back from lunch and Lena was still feeling Kara wrapped around her arms. She tried to refocus and scanned her e-mails, hoping something would pop-up that would get her attention, but there was nothing there.

She was just about to give up and go home when she heard the familiar chime of an e-mail coming in. She would have ignored it, but she was desperate for something else to occupy her thoughts. One look at the e-mail and she knew her prayers have been answered.

_Hey Lena Luthor._

_I'll be in National City in a couple of days. I was wondering if you have time to meet. Dinner, maybe? I have attached my flight details and the hotel where I'll be staying at.  
_

_Let me know when you want to meet. I'll be in town for about a couple of weeks or so._

Lena opened the attachment and committed the flight details to her memory. She checked the hotel booking and was not surprised to find a reservation for a penthouse suite. She called her secretary in.

"Cancel all my appointments for Wednesday evening and all of Thursday."

"What about Ms. Danvers?"

"What about her?"

"Well, what if she walks in and looks for you?"

"Let her know where I am."

As soon as her secretary left, Lena wrote back.

_Wednesday, 6pm. I'll have a car pick you up._

Lena knew she wouldn't receive any reply, so she closed her e-mail. After a few minutes, she found a stack of reports she had been dreading to review but decided she might as well start now.

* * *

Wednesday came and Lena found herself, for the first time in a long time, actually nervous. She was pacing inside her office, looking at herself in the mirror and second guessing her outfit choice for the nth time that day. She had not seen her roommate for almost 7 years and she suddenly had a million things she wanted to ask and a million more stories she wanted to tell.

"Hey you…"

"Kara!" Lena almost jumped at the sound of Kara's voice.

"Oh I'm sorry! I knocked but no one answered, and your secretary said you were in so I…whoa."

Lena was suddenly aware of her best friend's eyes on her.

"Lena…you look absolutely stunning." Kara said, almost breathlessly.

"You really think so?" Lena felt the start of something warm creep up on her cheeks.

"Have you seen you? I mean…. don't get me wrong, you are always just perfect, but tonight…that blouse, and that skirt…and your hair…and just everything…", Kara was stammering, which made Lena blush even harder. Kara was irresistible when she becomes this stammering, blushing, puppy.

"Thank you, Kara. That means a lot to me." And Lena meant every word.

Lena noticed that Kara was picking up some of the baubles around her office and was playing with them. "Soooo…who's the lucky guy?"

Lena shook her head.

"Girl. And it's not a date. She was my college roommate and I haven't seen her in a very long time."

"It's not a date, but you are dressing up for her?", Kara asked, her face, suddenly curious and guarded at the same time.

"When you meet her-and you will-you will understand." Lena smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "What brings you here, by the way?"

"Oh, I kind of wanted to grab dinner with you, but I can see you're busy." Kara teased.

"Please. It's not a date, Kara Danvers." Lena rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Oh no, she said my full name."

"Idiot.

"No, you." They both smiled.

With one final look at the mirror, Lena turned to her best friend, "Would you like to walk me to my car."

Kara grinned, bowed and offered her arm. "Of course, my lady."

Lena laughed but took Kara's arm anyways and for the briefest of moments, Lena wished she could stay like that forever.

* * *

"I thought you were gonna have dinner with Lena." Alex Danvers asked as she opened the door for her sister. She found a pouting Kara standing at her doorway, carrying a couple of boxes of pizza and what smelled like buffalo wings, looking utterly defeated.

"I wanted to, but she had plans." Kara answered as she entered her sister's apartment. She placed the pizza and the wings on the coffee table, sat on the floor and began eating.

"And you didn't check in with her beforehand?" Alex carried a couple of wineglasses and poured one for her and her sister.

"I never had to. But she's on a not-date date with her old college roommate that I have never heard of until today."

"And you're jealous…" It wasn't a question. Alex knew her sister well enough to know that she wouldn't mope around like this just because a _friend_ cancelled dinner on her to go out on a date.

"Of course I am! What if she replaces me as her best friend?" Kara, if it was even possible, looked even more defeated than before.

"Is that _really_ why you're jealous?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean." Kara said, raising her head slightly to look at her sister.

Alex was debating whether to tell her sister the truth that, for some reason, Kara couldn't see. But she decided that there are some things that we all must figure out on our own. This was one of those things.

"It's nothing. Let's just watch a movie."

* * *

Lena Luthor was seated at a corner booth at Antonio's. The place was packed even for a Wednesday night, but reservations were never a problem when you're a Luthor. It was one of the few perks that came with her name that she enjoyed.

_I should take Kara here to make up for tonight. She had looked so excited to have dinner with me earlier and- Okay, let's __**try**__ not think about her tonight…or her sparkling blue eyes…and the way she practically glows when the sun hits her just right….okay stop._

She had arrived 5 minutes early and was seated immediately. She asked for a glass of red wine and just as her wine arrived, she heard the all too familiar-

"Hey Lena Luthor."

Lena knew that voice. She knew the quality and the lilt of that voice. Nostalgia suddenly hit her hard and for a few precious moments, she felt like she was back in her old college room. She turned around and smiled.

"Taja!" Lena almost squealed as she went in for a hug.

"Oh wow, Lena Luthor, you look good.", her roommate remarked after detaching herself from Lena.

"And you…" Lena began, but the other girl cut her off.

"I swear if you even think about complimenting me, I will walk away."

"I was gonna say you're still small."

"Okay, that's fair."

Taja was slightly shorter than Lena but the way she held herself, you would think she was taller. She thought her roommate had always had this air of grace and majesty about her, like she's some royalty. People looked at Taja as some arrogant, self-important, rich kid, when Lena knew she was anything but that. It didn't help that Taja had always acted cold and aloof to most people, but Lena knew better. Her friend was deeply private, but she had spent enough time with her roommate to know how warm, caring, and kind she really was. Above all else, she was extremely loyal and had always stood up for Lena even when things were getting tough…_kind of like Kara…_

Unlike Kara though, Taja had shoulder length, jet black hair-darker even than Lena's-and amethyst eyes that looked like it was boring into your soul. She also seemed like she was always amused at something. And although her frame was small, Lena knew from experience how deceptively strong her friend can be.

The waiter arrived to give them the menu but Taja politely declined. Lena smiled. She knew what was coming but said nothing.

"Scotch, neat. Steak, as rare as possible, and I will give you a sizeable tip if you make sure that my hands are never without Scotch for the duration of the evening. My friend-", Taja gestured towards Lena, "-will have the Niçoise, and another glass of red when she's done with that."

The waiter simply bowed and left.

"Did I do that right?" Taja asked.

"Just like old times…but I believe you owe me an explanation." Lena began.

Taja smiled, sheepishly. "I do. And I will explain things, in time, complete with apologies and all that. But for tonight, let's pretend I did not go MIA on you for 7 years and tell me all about her…"

"What are you talking about?" Lena asked, suddenly confused.

"You had that longing look on your face just before I said 'Hi', and I'm pretty sure it wasn't for me." Lena noted Taja's knowing smirk.

"Why do you assume that I was thinking about a girl?"

Taja answered with a look and Lena knew better than to ask again. She sighed in defeat.

"She's…a friend. Nothing more. And she's straight, hence the 'longing' part."

"I see. Will I get to meet her?"

"I'm almost afraid you would. You will like her, I think. But enough about me…"

"No. Never enough about you.", her friend cut her off, "I want to know all that has happened since graduation, spare no details."

The rest of the night was spent mostly with Lena talking and Taja listening. It was as if nothing has changed.

Ever since they met, Taja had always assumed the role of listener. She knew how to make people talk and open up, while saying almost nothing about herself.

She was the first real friend Lena had that her mother and brother did not object to. How could they? As soon as Lena mentioned her to them, they had sent their private investigators. Lena soon learned what Taja didn't bother to tell her, because Lena didn't actually want to know.  
Taja Cunningham was the sole heir to the Cunningham estate. 'Very old money', her mother had referred to Taja's estate. Their entire fortune was invested in several different industries so that if Taja even thought about pulling out of any one of those, that industry would almost certainly collapse. They had no specific business of their own which is how she had managed to live in near perfect anonymity. All she had were investments, and it has worked quite well for her.

Lena had confessed about knowing all of this, and about what her mother and brother had done, to Taja, bracing for their first real fight. To her surprise, Taja just shrugged and said she didn't mind. "At least I don't have to hide it anymore. I hate keeping secrets from you." But Lena understood Taja's need for privacy and resolved to keep her secrets, which she did.

* * *

Taja paid for dinner, despite Lena's protests.

"I have a few properties to look at tomorrow morning after which I should be able to drop by your office to talk to you about a few things." Taja said as they were getting ready to go. "Are you free tomorrow?"

Lena noticed Taja was using her guarded voice, which she mostly used when things were about business. She had only heard her use this voice when speaking to her lawyers, financial advisers and her butler/bodyguard/driver/personal assistant.

"I will be in the office all day tomorrow," Lena responded, and then, almost as an afterthought, adding, "…except perhaps lunch."

Taja just stared at her for a few seconds and shrugged, "I'll make sure to call before coming."

Lena's car arrived first and she hugged her friend before leaving. "It was really good seeing you again."

Lena felt, more than heard, her friend hum in agreement.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lena Luthor."

* * *

The penthouse suite was dark, not that she needed any light, she could see just fine. From the balcony she could see most of National City. If she focused hard enough, she could almost see a faint thread, red and long, flying out in the wind. She couldn't see where the other end of the thread landed, but it was close by.

She was not sure how long she had been standing there, when a tall figure appeared quietly behind her.

The figure smelled of blood and sex and sweat.

"Are you sure she's here, Master?"

"Have I ever been wrong?"

She felt the figure bow and just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

She took her flask and drank from it. She would need the strength for tomorrow.

* * *

A/N: Updates coming in a few hours.


	2. Chapter 2

Lena was absolutely sure Kara would barge in any second. But it was already past 3 in the afternoon and no Kara. No text. No phone calls. She was starting to think something was wrong when her phone rang.

"Taja."

"You sound disappointed.", the voice on the other line remarked.

"Not really, just tired." Lena lied.

"In that case, I'll see about meeting you tomorrow, when you're well _rested_.", there was a definite emphasis on the word 'rested' that Lena did not miss.

"Don't be silly. Come in any time. I'll let my secretary know you're coming. How long do you need to get here?"

"Five seconds."

"What?"

"Check your door."

Lena got up in a hurry and opened her office door. There she found a familiar view.

Taja was leaning over at her secretary's desk, touching the girl on her cheeks. Her secretary was beet red and could not even form coherent words. As soon as Taja let go of the poor girl, she seemed to snap out of her reverie and cleared her throat.

"Uhm, Ms. Luthor… is here to see you.", her secretary mumbled, too terrified to look at her boss.

Without needing any prompting, Taja glided in and Lena closed the door after her.

"Not my secretary, please." Lena breathed.

Taja just smiled in response.

"So, business." Lena cleared her throat as she sat in her chair. Taja, on the other hand, busied herself with walking around her friend's office.

Lena waited. It seemed to her that her friend was measuring her words, a habit she knew meant that whatever Taja was about to say was serious. When she finally spoke, Lena heard business Taja: guarded, measured, calm.

"It has come to my attention that over the last few years, despite my wanton disregard for my financial spending, I have come to another sizeable amount of-how should I put this delicately?-disposable income. And I thought who better to entrust it with than you?"

Lena swallowed as her mind went blank.

Taja, while still pacing around slowly, continued, "I have already asked my lawyers to draft my intent to buy shares in your company but with certain conditions of course, the legalities of which I leave to my lawyers to enforce."

Lena's throat suddenly felt dry, but she managed to ask the one question she knew Taja was expecting.

"How much _disposable income_ are we talking about?"

Taja stopped pacing and looked at her, amethyst eyes searching, almost boring in, to emerald ones.

"About twice what L Corp is currently worth."

Lena decided that it was a good thing she was sitting down because she definitely felt her knees go soft.

"Taja….that's…" Lena stopped when she saw her friend's face soften into a smile.

"If this deal goes through, I will be the majority shareholder of L Corp. But you know how I work. I hate business meetings, and I sure as hell do not want to run your company. So as to not complicate matters, I have asked my lawyers to put in one condition that must be enforced strictly. Simply put, that you, Lena Luthor must control and run L Corp. In the event of you stepping down as it's CEO, or heaven forbid, your untimely death, I will be given 30 days' notice to decide whether I keep my shares in L Corp or not."

"Taja…are you sure?"

"You should be getting a call from your lawyers right about n-"

Just before she finished what she was saying, Lena's phone rang. Sure enough, it was the head of her legal department. She answered, her eyes never leaving Taja's.

"Robert. Yes, I've just been made aware. I trust you know what to do. Once everything is in order, send it up to my office and call a board meeting."

She had barely put her phone down when she felt a rush of wind and an all-too-familiar voice in her balcony.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Luthor?"

* * *

Kara was on her way back to her apartment after dealing with a fire on one of the older buildings downtown. Most of the residents were evacuated immediately but there were still a few people, and one wayward cat, that needed some search and rescuing. All in all, and except for some minor bruises and carbon dioxide poisoning, everyone was safe and accounted for.

She stretched out her senses, trying to check on Lena when she heard her heartbeat, irregular and fast. Without really thinking, she rushed to the CEO's balcony.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Luthor?"

She surveyed the office and found Lena on her office chair, and another person standing a few feet in front of her.

"Supergirl, to what do I owe this pleasure?' Lena said, quickly standing up and motioning for Kara to get in.

Kara continued to monitor Lena's heartbeat, listening for any signs of distress. "I thought I heard…something. But it seems everything is in order. Sorry for barging in." she said quickly.

"Nonsense. Come, I'd like you to meet an old friend." Lena gestured to the other girl who was now staring at Kara with an almost calculating expression. Kara felt unnerved and threatened somehow but she shrugged it off.

"Taja Cunningham, I'd like you to meet Supergirl." Lena turned to Kara, "Taja was my roommate and best friend back in college."

_Best friend?_

Kara stretched out her hand and was mildly surprised when the other girl gripped hers and shook it. It was the first time Kara felt what she thought a normal handshake should feel for normal human beings. "Wow, you've got quite a grip there, Ms. Cunningham."

The other girl smiled, "An honor meeting you, Supergirl. I've heard quite a lot about you and your cousin. Thank you for keeping the world safe. And thank you for checking in on my friend."

"Will you be staying in National City long?" Kara was not really sure why she had asked, but it was out there and she couldn't take it back.

"It depends. I have some business to take care of and if it all goes well, then I might be staying indefinitely." It did not escape Kara the wink that the other girl gave Lena.

Kara cleared her throat, "Welcome to National City then, Ms. Cunningham." To Lena, she muttered, "I should go, I think I hear sirens.."

Kara wanted to die from embarrassment, but at the same time, something about Lena's friend unnerved her. She couldn't quite place it but something was wrong. She didn't…feel right. Kara did not know how else to put it. She decided to dig deeper.

As soon as she landed back inside her apartment, she dialed her sister. "Sorry to bother you, Alex, but can I ask one of your people to check on a name for me? Background search and all. Yes. Everything you have on a Taja Cunningham. Yes, that's right. I don't know but I just want to be sure. Thanks!"

She had barely put her phone down when her phone rang again and Kara smiled.

"Lena, hey. Sorry I've been super busy today, I realize I haven't texted you. What's up? Tonight? Sure! What do you want me to bring? Okay got it. I'll be there around 8. I just need to finish a few things at work. Text me your address."

* * *

Kara could have flown directly to Lena's front gate, but she knew the surrounding area where Lena's house was situated was heavily monitored. Since the last attempt on her life, Lena had upgraded her security system but still insisted on living alone. So, Kara was left with no choice but to take a cab.

"Come on in." Lena greeted her through the intercom when she rang the bell. She heard something click and the door swung open.

Lena's home was a bungalow overlooking National City. A quick X-ray scan however, and Kara discovered a basement and a lab that was surprisingly bigger than the house itself. She could also make out all the exit strategies Lena had put on her house. It was a veritable fortress down there.

Inside the bungalow, was a wide-open space, divided only by furniture. The whole space was open so you could see the kitchen from the living area. There was a corridor to the far end of the house which, after a quick X-ray scan, led to two bedrooms. The bigger one was obviously Lena's

"I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a stack of old movies, so just take your pick." Lena was saying as she led her to the living room.

"Actually, I just wanted to catch up. We can watch later, if you're still up for it."

Kara brought Chinese while Lena opened a bottle of wine.

"That sounds perfect. Hold on let me fix the dining table."

After a few minutes, they were well on their way to catching up.

"I swear Snapper is out for my blood." Kara was exclaiming. "And they hired this new intern, she cried and left in two hours. It would have been sad, if only she didn't throw Cat Grant's favorite vase at Snapper before leaving."

Lena gasped and then giggled, which made Kara join in.

"Look at me droning on and on, when _you_ had that not-date date." Kara teased again.

"Oh stop being jealous. She's not replacing you as my best friend."

"That's right! Because she's now your girlfriend." Kara continued, smiling despite this gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach. But the sound of Lena's laughter brought her back.

"Ha! That's a laugh. Although, I'll tell you this. I mean, when you meet her, you'll understand, but she has a way with people. Like they can never resist her. You should have seen her earlier with my secretary. The poor girl was basically putty in her hands. But-I don't know-she never had that effect on me." When Kara didn't say anything, Lena continued. "I once talked to her about it, because it was confusing me. I kind of thought there was something wrong with me. Because, subjectively, she is undeniably beautiful. She told me it was because she wasn't trying to charm me, she was trying to honestly be my friend."

"She seems nice." Kara murmured.

"She is. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"So you spent all day with her earlier?" Kara hoped Lena didn't hear the obvious tone.

"No, she had other things to take care of this morning. She came in the afternoon for business."

"Business?"

Lena lit up, but then bit her lip. Kara found it cute when Lena was like this.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but what the hell. She has decided to invest a sizeable amount of money into L-Corp."

"Sizeable meaning?"

"Basically, she offered to invest twice the amount of what L-Corp is currently worth."

Kara's jaw almost dropped. She finally understood why Lena's heart was racing earlier.

"Are you telling me that your friend is not only beautiful and perfect, she is also rich?"

_Great, now how do I compete with that?_

"_Insanely _rich."

Kara could tell that Lena was very excited. She had began firing off ideas on how to wisely use her friend's money: expansion, investments, building hospices and hospitals, developing new technologies. Kara thought she could literally listen to Lena rant off like this all day, every day and never get tired.

After what seemed like an eternity well-spent on listening to Lena's plans and stories, they settled down to watch a movie on the couch. No sooner had the movie started than when Kara felt a weight on her shoulder. Lena was asleep, breathing evenly. She tried to move but Lena only whimpered and snuggled closer. Kara waited for a few more minutes, making sure that Lena was deep into her sleep, before she lifted her friend up and carried her the bedroom. To avoid jostling her about and risk waking her up, Kara decided to hover all the way to the master's bedroom and gently laid down the sleeping CEO.

She was about to leave when she felt a hand on her wrist gently tugging her and wouldn't let go.

"_Stay.._"

Kara smiled. She let the half-asleep CEO pull her to bed, and when she had settled, she felt the pull on her hand so that it fell across Lena's side. Lena, on the other hand, managed to snuggle closer so that she was on her side, her head just below Kara's chin, breathing down Kara's chest.

Kara's heart beat wildly against her chest. She couldn't think. She felt like she could hear her own blood pumping in her ears. Any louder and it would wake Lena up. It wasn't until she heard Lena's contented sigh that she began to relax. She listened to Lena's heart and allowed it to sing her to sleep.

* * *

There was a cliff with a sheer drop. In the distance, you could see the bright lights of National City. The surrounding area had been part of a privately-owned estate that no one bothered to develop. It was almost illegal how low they managed to buy the property. By this time tomorrow, there would be a small swarm of people, building a house. But for now, the property was silent, dark, empty but for the two figures at the cliff's edge.

"Are you sure this is wise, Master?" the taller one asked. It was about twice as tall as the other figure and just as slim.

"I trust her.", the smaller one replied. Her hair cascaded down to the ground and spilled all around her. Her stomach began to rumble.

"You are hungry."

"When am I not?"

"You need to feed, Master."

She produced the flask from out of the coat she was wearing and drank from it. It was a double-edged sword. It satisfied and yet made her crave for more. But she had learned to control her impulses. She closed her eyes.

The red thread was there again, faint but undeniable.

She looked down and found the other end of the thread, beginning at her chest.

_Soon_…

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think :)


	3. Chapter 3

Lena woke up to something warm beside her. It was as if the warm glow of sunlight was radiating off whatever was beside her, minus the actual blinding light. She sighed for a few seconds before she forced her eyes open.

She inhaled sharply, realizing the source of the warmth that had encompassed her.

Slowly, very carefully, she dragged herself out of bed, pausing for a moment to take in the view before her.

Kara was still in the clothes she came in last night. Judging from their position when she woke up, it would seem like they had been _cuddling?_ She was sleeping peacefully, with a small smile on her face. It took all of Lena's self-control not to reach out and cup the blonde's sleeping face.

_What am I doing?_

Lena shook her head, sighed, and started for the kitchen.

* * *

"Marry me, Lena Luthor."

Lena flinched. She was still thinking about what she woke up to that morning and was absentmindedly picking on her food. Did she just hear that correctly? She looked at the blonde who was busy stuffing her face with pancakes. Kara was actually moaning.

"Or I'll ask Eliza to adopt you and you can come live with me and you will make me pancakes like this every morning because these are so, soooo good, Lena!"

"I don't know, Kara. I'm afraid if I marry you, I'll go bankrupt just trying to feed you." Lena fired back.

"Hey! It will be an equal partnership! You cook these pancakes for me every day and I…will…hmmm." Kara's eyes narrowed, thinking.

"So much for equal partnership! Now get your butt ready, I will drop you at your place so you can change." Lena said, grinning. "I can't believe you slept in your clothes."

"Not my fault. You were snoring and drooling on the couch so I dragged you to bed but you wouldn't let my hand go. What was I supposed to? Besides, you looked so comfortable with your snoring and your drooling that I kind of just gave up and joined you." Kara shrugged.

"I do not drool!"

"I have proof that I'm keeping to blackmail you with so you can feed me more pancakes."

Lena smiled as she watched Kara wolf down the rest of the pancakes and finishing it off with the orange juice. Kara was about to wash the dishes when Lena stopped her.

"No, don't bother cleaning up. I'll do it tonight, just drop them in the sink and let's go."

* * *

Alex Danvers drummed her fingers impatiently. It had been a quiet few days at the DEO and she had just gone to the gym, to the lab, to the ops, and for at least the last few hours, all was right with the world. She had wondered if there were paperworks for her to fill. Then she remembered Kara's call.

What was the name again? She was sure she had written it down somewhere but was too busy to actually deal with it at the time.

She rummaged through her desk and found the post-it note.

_Taja Cunningham_

The name sounded familiar, like an echo or a distant memory.

She opened the DEO database and typed it in. It took a couple of seconds before a single file opened containing a single paragraph, and it was completely blacked out. Only the name Taja Cunningham and a picture of a girl that Alex could only describe as breath taking was visible.

Alex's brow furrowed. As the Deputy Director of the DEO, there shouldn't be a lot that is classified information to her. When she clicked on the option to declassify the file, an error warning popped up.

INSUFFICIENT SECURITY CLEARANCE.

Without further warning, the file closed. Intrigued, she stood up from her desk and walked over to Winn's station.

"Winn, do you think you can run a search for me?"

Winn looked at her, slightly affronted. "Uhm, sure."

Alex ignored his reaction and handed him the post-it note. Winn started muttering to himself almost immediately.

"Uhm, Alex…this is weird."

"What do you mean?"

"That name. I ran it through all the databases: DEO, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, even several foreign intelligences, and every one of them had a file about her. They were all highly classified so I can't be sure if their files are the same. I tried a backdoor to see if we can circumvent the security clearance but nothing. It's like her existence is the world's best kept secret."

"Interesting…. Anything else?"

"Well, there are some things I can tell you about her. Basic stuff. Born to John and Alice Cunningham, both deceased. Straight A 's, no record of her ever getting a job, though. Not that she needs it because apparently she's rich."

"Luthor-level rich?"

"No. The Luthors look like middle-class citizens compared to her. Speaking of Luthor. She was roommates with Lena Luthor in college. Graduated at MIT, second only to Lena Luthor by what looks to be a very close margin."

Alex sighed. _Of course it had something to do with Lena Luthor._

"Thanks, Winn. I think it's best we forget about this whole thing."

_I am going to kill my sister._

* * *

Kara had been focused on the article she was writing when her phone buzzed and she almost jumped.

'Dinner, tonight. My place.'

Kara wondered at the curt message from Alex but shrugged it off.

And then came the sirens.

* * *

Lena, on the other side of town, was having a terrific day. For one, the board got wind of the offer that landed on the legal department's table yesterday and everyone was excited about it. For once, no one was arguing with her about this.

Her lawyer's have assured her that it would take less than a week before the deal is finalized as they were also in contact with Taja's lawyers, who seemed amenable and accommodating to the way L-Corp's legal department runs things.

She was just on her way back to her office from a meeting several floors below when her phone buzzed.

"Hey Lena Luthor. Super late lunch?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Don't tell me you're flirting with my secretary outside my office again." Lena rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I won't." Lena could almost see the smirk on her friend's face as she said this.

Sure enough, when the elevator doors opened, she found Taja playing with her secretary's hand, the other girl looked like she was about to explode at any moment.

"Don't bother going in, I have your purse." Taja said, as soon Lena exited the elevator.

"Why did you wait for me to go all the way up here then?" Lena sighs as she pivots back to the elevator, catching it before it closed.

"I wanted to annoy you. Maybe ruin your day a little bit." Taja said, following Lena inside the elevator.

"Tell me again why we're friends?

"What? I'm adorable!"

"You're the worst."

"That's not what your secretary was howling last night in bed…and on the couch…and on the kitchen floor."

"Gross. And her name is Jess."

"Who?

"My secretary. God, you're unbelievable!" Lena said, exasperated.

"That's what she said too."

"Okay, I walked in on that one."

* * *

Lena knew something was wrong as soon as the elevator doors opened at the ground floor. She heard the distant 'boom' of what seemed like simultaneous explosions from a distance followed by a million sirens. Everyone was still for a moment, listening. A few more explosions, close enough for them to feel the air pressure released, but not close enough to do any sort of damage.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw them approaching. Four men, wearing kryptonite-infused titanium armor walked towards her, shoving anyone in their way. Not in any hurry, but with assured steps. Clearly the explosions were a diversionary tactics.

"You're coming with us, Luthor."

Lena was about to say something when she heard a disappointed groan behind her.

"Ugh. I was hoping you wouldn't find out this way."

Lena was not quite sure what she was seeing.

Something had moved in front her, shielding her from the men that were advancing.

She couldn't tell because the creature, whatever it was, who's back was turned to her, had jet-black hair going all the way to the floor, pooling around her feet. Lena could also swear she could smell…vanilla?

The men barely had time to move when the girl launched, snapping the neck of the closest one first, then swatting away the next like an annoying fly. He flew, crashing through several walls before finally stopping. While the second guy was flying, she grabbed the third by the neck and slammed him into the ground. Lena was certain he heard bone turn to powder.

She went behind the fourth guy, crushed his kneecaps and grinned, two unmistakable fangs shining.

* * *

Kara was flying around putting out one fire after another when she heard the distress call coming from L-Corp from their comms. She shot a knowing look at her sister who simply nodded. She flew towards L-Corp, her senses assaulted the by heady scent of Lena's perfume, as if someone stole it and dispersed it in the air.

"Ms Luthor!"

She saw what appeared to be something kneeling in front of Lena, its hands clasped behind its head.

As soon as she reached Lena's side, she stared at the kneeling figure. It looked like a girl, with long, flowing hair. Her irises were red, almost shining and it looked hungry. The girl had markings on her right hand, markings that were unfamiliar to Kara.

She forced herself to look away and assess the situation. From where she was standing, she could sense the kryptonite in the men's armor. Not strong enough to harm her from this distance, but a melee encounter would be difficult.

One had a broken neck, another had its faced smashed in and the third was crumpled to the ground, kneecaps beyond repair.

She scanned around, looking for other threats and found the last one several feet away and through several walls.

Three dead. One unconscious.

"You might want to take the cyanide pill out of his mouth before he regains consciousness.", the girl grinned, motioning to the guy who will never be able to walk again.

"I was going to do it, but I sensed you coming, and I didn't want you to have the wrong idea."

There was that grin again. It unnerved Kara.

"Thank you for saving Ms. Luthor's life, but I'm afraid, you have to come with us." She motioned for the DEO agents that had just arrived. "For security purposes, we have to cover your ears and eyes and handcuff you. Will you comply?"

The girl shrugged. "It's not like that's going to do much, but okay."

"Wait, why are you taking her?" Lena spoke up.

"We just need to ask her a few questions, Ms. Luthor." Kara was afraid this was going to happen. Lena had that look. The look that said she was not going to back down. Not even in front of Supergirl.

"But she—"

"It's okay, lady. I don't mind." the girl interrupted Lena, the stupid grin never leaving her face. "Just before the doors to the reinforced DEO mobile unit closed, the girl shouted, "Be safe!"

* * *

A/N: I swear i did not write this in one day. Let me know what you think tho!


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Hey thanks for sticking by. This is going to take a few more chapters, around 5 or more. Let me know what you think so far. Thanks again._**

* * *

Lena Luthor was not really Alex's favorite person in the world.

Years and years of training and conditioning have led her to be, at the very least, guarded whenever she is around a Luthor. And as the last free Luthor, with billions at her disposal, a calm disposition, and a genius level IQ, Alex knows Lena can do greater harm than her brother ever can.

"So, she just came out of nowhere?" Alex asked.

Lena sighed. "Yes. I was about to have late lunch with my friend when the bombs started to go off. I noticed the four men coming and I told my friend to run. The men were almost on me when that girl came out of nowhere, dispatched the three others and rendered the last one unconscious. All I saw and heard was a flurry of hair and the sound of bone crunching. I remember her glancing back and then she just…started kneeling. That's when Supergirl arrived."

Something did not add up. Lena was too calm. Then again, Lena was always collected, despite being subject to so many assassination and kidnapping attempts.

"And where's your friend now?"

"I'm not sure. I want to text her to make sure she's safe, but since I'm here. I suspect I won't be able to do that just yet."

"Unfortunately."

Lena did not respond. Which reminded Alex...

"This friend…her name is Taja Cunningham?"

Lena's eyebrow shot up.

"Yes but how did you know?"

"We have our ways."

"I'm sure you do."

"Do you know every intelligence agency on this world has a file on her?"

Alex was surprised by Lena's short laugh.

"I would be surprised if they didn't."

"Why is that?"

Alex studied Lena's expression. She had been a wall since they started interrogation, and she looked like she wasn't about to break any time.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because she is in the top 1% of the top 1%, or maybe it's because we were roommates once. There could honestly be a hundred different reasons, none of which are at all related to what happened earlier." And with that, Lena fixed her a steely glare.

Alex had no choice but to let go of the youngest Luthor. There just seemed to always be a target on her back, and if she was being honest, she was not sure how Lena was handling it with grace. It was almost admirable.

But for now, her curiosity was directed at the creature Kara brought in, sitting at one of DEO's secure holding cell. Reinforced steel, alien-grade bullet and blast proof glass, not to mention it was about 60 feet underground. It would take a lot to break out of it.

"Anything new?" Alex asked J'onn J'onzz as soon as she walked in. She nodded to her sister, still in her super suit.

"Oh wow what is that smell? Kinda smells like…" Winn was saying as he entered, following Alex. At once, all four people completed Winn's sentence.

"My father's workshop"

"Le—a woman's perfume."

"My daughter's favorite flower"

"What smell?"

They all turned to Alex who, in turn, narrowed her eyes at the three of them. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you can't smell it?" Kara asked, the look on her face confusing Alex even more.

"Am I supposed to smell anything?"

The Martian cleared his throat, "I suspect it's coming from her. Some form of means to attract prey." He gestured to the girl currently standing inside the holding cell. "We haven't experienced anything different, so for now, I'm assuming it's safe."

Alex turned to the creature and was surprised to find that the she was staring back at her, it's expression unreadable, almost searching.

"Get out of my head, Martian. I guarantee you will not enjoy what you see." the creature said, suddenly. It was still staring at Alex, however.

J'onn J'onzz ignored her and spoke to Alex. "We don't know where she's from. The DNA we took from her came up empty and our scanners can't even distinguish a fingerprint. It's like she didn't exist till today."

"Why didn't you resist?" It was Kara who spoke to the creature next.

The creature, in turn, briefly flashed a look at Kara, then went right back to staring at Alex. "And risk an all-out fight with you in a building full of people? I just saved that lady and then risk her life at the next turn? Seems like a stupid waste of time and energy."

"But you were willing to kill those men."

Alex watched the creature shrug, her impressive mane of swept back, dark hair rising and falling ever so slightly.

"I don't share your moral high ground. I did leave one for you to interrogate."

"You've been staring at me." Alex stated, and for the first time, the creature looked…. uncertain.

"I apologize. That was rude of me." Her voice was suddenly soft as she closed her eyes.

Alex observed what the creature was wearing: sleeveless, V-neck black top, the collar of which was loose and sat perfectly on top of her breasts. Alex suspected that if the girl bends over, it would be completely inappropriate.

_Yes and you're being completely inappropriate now._

The shirt was tucked into loose slacks of similar color and fabric. She was barefoot.

"I'm bored and hungry and I think I'm going home." the creature said after a moment's silence.

"We can't let you do that. Not until you've answered our questions." J'onn replied, but Alex could see he was getting into a defensive stance.

"Fine then. Ask away." The creature, with her eyes still closed, sat down on the floor, cross-legged.

Kara started. "Where are you from?"

"Earth."

"Which Earth?"

"This Earth, as far as I know."

"What are you?"

The creature grinned widely this time, showing her fangs. She raised her right hand and created what looked like a circular portal. She placed her hand inside and produced a flask. As soon as the flask was out, the portal closed with a hissing sound, like a fire being extinguished. The creature then proceeded to drink from the flask and, after a few seconds, poured the contents to her free hand, letting it drip to the floor.

"What is that?" Alex asked, although the color and the consistency of the liquid gave her a sinking idea.

It was Kara, though, who confirmed her suspicion.

"Human blood."

* * *

"Master Luthor" Lena turned to find a familiar tall figure catching up to her. She had decided to go back to L-Corp to assess the damage before going home and was racing towards her building.

"Scarlet? What are you doing here? Is Taja with you?"

The tall figure, wearing an all-black tuxedo with leather shoes to match, stopped about four feet away from Lena and bowed deeply.

"I'm afraid not. Which is why I have come to you. I was supposed to pick my master up after your meal, but my master was not here. I have been waiting."

Lena almost forgot the small eccentricities of having Taja as a friend. For one, she had a tall, lanky bodyguard who wore the same thing every day, with deep red hair down to her knees, honey-colored eyes, and who never referred to Taja by name, but only by 'Master'.

Scarlet took it upon herself to call Lena 'Master Luthor', and had not called her by any other name, no matter how much Lena begged.

"I'm not actually sure. A lot of things happened…and then-" but Lena wasn't sure if she was ready to say out loud what she saw.

"I suppose I should track my master. However, I am worried that my master might be in the middle of something and it would greatly displease my master if I interrupt."

Lena didn't know what to say or do. Scarlet looked lost and uncertain, like she didn't really know what to do.

"Would you like to come inside? We can wait for her there. I'll try to call her too."

"Much appreciated, Master Luthor, but completely unnecessary. I think I shall wait in the car." The figure moved to go back to the idling black limo when Lena called her out.

"How many times must I ask you to stop calling me 'Master Luthor', Scarlet?"

With a slight smile, the figure turned back, bowed and replied, "At least once more, Master Luthor."

Lena smiled and shook her head. This has been an ongoing gag between the two of them and it amused her to no end. But she did feel somewhat sad, watching the seemingly lost and confused woman retreat slowly back to the limo.

_Maybe I should have insisted?_

* * *

"I don't understand what's so difficult about this…" the creature sighed. She had opened her eyes again after Kara spoke up, but she was no longer staring at Alex. In fact, she was looking everywhere but at Alex.

And try as she might deny it, Alex wished the creature would look at her again.

"I am from Earth. I have fangs. I drink human blood. What am I?"

"Vampire.." Alex breathed, as if she was afraid to be correct.

"Ding, ding, ding. Finally, someone with brains." The creature gestured at Alex but was still avoiding her gaze.

"No, that's bullshit. Vampires don't exist." Winn protested.

"Oh okay," the creature mocked, " So you believe in literal gods from outer space, aliens who can read minds and mimic other people, in the concept of time travel and different earths, but somehow a vampire is where you draw the line?"

"Yeah but you were out in daylight…" Kara interjected.

"Load of nonsense written by dimwits who didn't know better."

"Silver bullets?" Winn suggested.

"Expensive. Completely harmless, have you seen how soft those are?"

"Cross and stakes?" J'onn J'onzz added.

"Fun fact. I met the guy. Nice dude. Shame what they did to him."

It was Alex's turn to speak… "You met Jesus Christ?"

"Yeah. As I said, nice dude, could have done this world some good if they didn't crucify him."

"But that would mean you're more than 2000 years old." Alex stared in disbelief.

"Waaaaay more than that…", the creature laughed. And when no one else spoke, she stood up. "Listen, this has been fun. I hope you got what you needed, but you made me spill my meal and now I'm hungry. I'm leaving."

"I'd like to see you try." Kara challenged. But the creature seemed not to care.

Alex almost felt a wave of relief when the creature stared at her again.

"You might want to step back, you and your other human friend."

Alex was vaguely aware of J'onn issuing a lockdown command. She had stepped back, grabbing Winn with her. The lights began to pulse red and blue, signaling a complete lockdown of the facility, but this didn't seem to faze the creature.

The creature placed her hand on the glass and with what looked like very little pressure, caused the entire thing to crash into little pieces. She began walking out when Kara attacked, but she swatted her away, sending her flying in the other direction. J'onn immediately followed up Kara's initial attack with a punch of his own but he too was sent flying in a different direction.

Kara was back for another round but just as quickly as she flew back, swatted away again.

The creature never broke her gaze upon Alex, until she was literally inches away. "A pleasure to finally meet you."

As Alex was significantly taller, she felt, rather than saw, the creature tiptoe to place a featherlight kiss on her lips before disappearing in a puff of red and black smoke.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: _I'm sorry. I swear to God this is still Supercorp. XD  
I also had to switch gears with my writing. Sorry it took a bit longer than usual. Also, this is going to be a bit longer than the previous chapters.  
The next one will be after a couple of days or so. Work gets in the way of writing, unfortunately.  
_

* * *

The earlier commotion had died down after what seemed like hours. The holding cell had been swept and debugged and swept again, making sure to gather any trace evidence that the creature may have left…a stray hair, an energy signature, anything. But so far, they found none. Even the surveillance footage was mysteriously wiped.

It was as if she was never there.

This was turning out to be one of the weirder cases they have handled, and it was leaving a bad taste in Kara's mouth. She could still feel a slight sting where the creature had hit her. It was healing, but she was certain something was broken when she had first gotten up. It wasn't that her pride as the 'Girl of Steel" was bruised, but she had earned that nickname for a reason. Not a lot of aliens can break her without much effort. That much power on something that did not hesitate to kill was dangerous, and it bothered Kara to no end.

She was still trying to wrap her brain around the whole thing when everyone, tired and coming up with nothing, decided to just go home and regroup the next day.

But, at the moment, something else was bothering Kara.

Alex was quiet.

Alex was never quiet…at least not like this. She would have been at the front of it all, dishing out ideas, theories, hypothesis. But she looked like she was deep in thought, not quite bothered, but pre-occupied. She had only nodded, grunted, or shrugged. And when Alex did not respond when Kara asked if she could drop Kara off to her apartment, the younger Danvers decided to drive Alex home instead.

On their way to Alex's apartment, Kara tried again.

"Alex?" she tested.

"Hmm?" came the noncommittal reply.

"Is everything okay? Did something happen while I was knocked out?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking…", the reply was flat.

"About the creature, you mean?"

Alex nodded. "The vampire, yes."

"What about her?"

Alex paused, as if she was tasting her own words and Kara knew better than to push her sister.

"Did she seem…familiar to you?"

This took Kara off guard. It wasn't at all what she had expected Alex would ask.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Just before she disappeared, she stood close to me, looked me in the eye…and all I remember thinking was 'I've seen you before'.'" Alex shook her head as if to clear it. "I think I'm just tired.", she muttered, almost to herself.

It was Kara's turn to not respond. She had never seen Alex like this.

* * *

"I haven't eaten since breakfast" Kara was saying as she used her emergency key to open her sister's apartment door. She glanced at Alex who was still deep in thought, so she decided to ramble on.

"I wanted to ask Lena out to lunch but then-"

Kara heard a sharp intake of breath and turned around to see her sister looking jarred, as if something had snapped her out of her reverie.

"YOU DINGUS! YOU. MADE. ME. DO. A. BACKGROUND. CHECK. ON. LUTHOR'S. FRIEND?"

Alex accentuated each word with a punch on Kara's shoulder, pushing both of them inside her sister's apartment. When she ran out of words, she continued punching anyway.

"Wait, I can explain…ow. Stop. Alex. I can explain. No. Stop. You're going to hurt yourself. Ow." Kara was laughing. She needed this, even though it was at her expense. She didn't realize what a long day it has been.

"Now I'm glad that vampire punched your lights out." Alex said with a smirk. "Twice."

They both fell to the couch laughing until Kara heard her stomach rumble.

"Do you have anything in your fridge, or should we just have some delivered?"

Alex was already walking to the bathroom when she said, "Delivered."

The food arrived just as Kara finished her turn taking a shower.

"No but seriously, what possessed you to want a background check on her friend?" Alex asked, not letting go of the discussion, as she pulled a slice of pizza.

Kara swallowed her first slice, "I dropped by Lena's office as Supergirl and she was there and I dunno," she shrugged. "Something about her felt off."

"Is it possible that you're just jealous?" Kara heard the concern in her sister's voice.

"Pfft. Me? Why would I be jealous?" Kara rolled her eyes. Why _would_ she be jealous?

"She's pretty and smart and rich." Alex offered, almost like a challenge.

"Is that all you found out?"

"Yeah…. there really was nothing much on her. She's kept a very low profile which is honestly a smart move for someone of her… considerable resources."

"Makes sense. Or maybe she's hiding something. But Lena goes on and on about her like she's this perfect person. She wants me to meet her, you know? But I just don't trust her and I'm not sure if I will like her."

"Wow, and you give me grief for judging Lena too harshly. Biased much?"

* * *

To say that Lena was tired would be the understatement of the year.

When she got back to L-Corp, the DEO agents were gone, and her people were cleaning up. She had called her engineers and ordered an inspection of the ground floor where the four men tried to kidnap her. While they all assured her that the building was sound and did not sustain any significant damage, except for the walls where one of the kidnapper went through, she wasn't satisfied and had asked for a more detailed, more thorough report of every single damage that needed fixing or throwing away. She had given them 24 hours.

It was almost midnight when she stood at the door of her house, having just received a text message from Kara.

'_Hey, I heard from Alex what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I was tied up somewhere else and by the time I reached L-Corp, you were gone. Please let me know when you get this. I'm really worried.'_

Lena smiled, leaning on her doorframe. How did she, a Luthor, manage to become friends with one of the sweetest, most caring person on the planet?

'_Hi! I'm fine. Your sister had sent me home after asking a few questions, but I decided to go back to check on L-Corp building. We must have missed each other. Thanks for checking up on me. Lunch tomorrow?'_

The reply came almost immediately.

'_Definitely.'_

Lena sighed, feeling a wave of warmth hit her and a million butterflies suddenly came alive in her stomach. She could almost sense Kara there, almost smell the vanilla scent she wore.

"Hey Lena Luthor."

Lena nearly jumped as she opened the door.

The creature from earlier was sitting on her couch, in the pitch-black darkness of her house. She could see her silhouette and the dangerous glint of her red eyes and a chill ran down her spine. She wasn't sure what to do so she moved to open the lights.

"Taja?", she called out uncertainly.

The creature grinned, her fangs gleaming. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

Lena studied the figure on the couch. She certainly looked like Taja, except for the ridiculously long hair and the markings on her hand, and the eyes and the fangs.

"Explain before I start calling people." Lena heard the fear in her voice.

The creature stood up slowly and started pacing, the same pacing that Taja did yesterday in her office. The same pacing around when she was seriously considering her words. But this was slower, as if she had rehearsed what she was going to say and was now just trying to weight them.

"I need you to sit down for this. I know you're tired, but I couldn't let the day pass without coming clean to you. After all, in my heart, you are still my only friend. So, please…" Taja gestured to the couch.

Lena dropped her coat and her keys and made her way to the couch. There was that overpowering vanilla smell again. It was definitely coming from her…and it was just reminding her of Kara over and over again, making her heart dance.

"I wasn't really planning on telling you, not in the beginning. There are some secrets best left undiscovered. I am one of those." Taja began as soon as Lena had seated. "But my existence…it's kind of... And after thousands of years, it gets to be miserable. Then I met you. And I thought… 'Well here is a good person'. And I still think I'm right."

Taja paused as if deep in thought, then continued its pace. "I guess what I'm really trying to say is I need my friend to know me. I need _you_ to know me. Not as Taja Cunningham, the absentee friend, but as Taja—the demon that needs a friend."

"And is this why you were gone for seven years?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Every three hundred years, the Demon realm holds a tournament. It's a free for all, 1v1, winner by elimination kind of fight. The winner would be crowned High Lord and would rule with absolute power, until the tournament starts again. For you see, demons know and acknowledge only power, and we are, by design, bent to follow the crown of the High Lord."

"You were in this tournament." It wasn't a question.

Taja nodded. "I had to be. For her sake."

"For who's sake?"

"Remember when I told you my family believes in the concept of 'Soulmate' and you brushed it off? Well I found mine thousands of years back…only, my soulmate is human. And because I was young and I thought I knew everything, I insisted we get married." Taja smiled fondly at some distant memory that Lena was sure was playing in her head. It was almost as if Taja was talking to herself now. "We did and we were happy for the longest time. But the concept of marriage in my realms is literally the union of two souls. Literally, our souls would be one so that we could never stand to be parted for too long."

Lena was trying to process everything, but all she could see was this lonesome creature, pacing slowly back and forth, seemingly lost in her own memories. She could tell Taja was trying to slow it down, trying to make sure Lena was absorbing everything…as if Taja was holding back raging waters in a fragile dam and it was going to break any second now.

"Funny thing…I forgot how fragile humans are. And when my mate died…my soul was torn apart, as could be expected. And for the longest time, I was lost. Half a soul, wandering, wanting desperately to die to be reunited with her beloved again. I fed on hundreds of people at a time, but my thirst was not sated. So, I stopped feeding altogether. I couldn't begin to tell you how that felt. But as you saw earlier, there is nothing in this earth that could kill me. By every measure of the word, I am immortal here…and I wanted to die."

"So, I went back home, to my realm, and in a crazy bid for death, I entered the tournament. Surely, someone there would be strong enough, but clearly not a lot. I was almost to the end of the tournament and I was resigned to my death. My opponent was strong. I had seen him fight. I had seen him decimate his opponent with as much ease as I did. He had also expressed his desire to unite the demon realm with the human realm so that the demons could freely pass back and forth…If he won, it would mean the end for humans. I didn't care. Everyone could die, as long as I die too."

"How noble of you." Lena remarked dryly. If Taja had heard her, she wasn't sure because her friend just went on.

"The night before the final fight though…something happened that I never thought was possible. My soulmate returned. I could feel my soul made whole again. I knew somewhere in the infinite earths, my better half was born and I need to be with her."

"Her?" But again, Lena was ignored.

"Two things struck me then: One, that the marriage rite had worked too well. It had allowed her to come back because I, being the literal other half of her soul, was still alive, and two, that I could not lose. Something snapped inside me and a purpose was born. I was going to keep out the demon realm so that my beloved would be born in a relatively safer world. I should not lose. There was no way I could allow myself to lose. So, I didn't….and my life had been in this cycle since."

"So, if I understand this correctly, you are the only thing keeping humanity safe from demons coming in from your realm?"

"Yes. For her." Taja had stopped pacing. She was looking intently at Lena, her eyes almost on fire. When Lena stayed quiet, Taja kneeled in front of Lena and took both her hands. It fascinated Lena how gentle her friend was, when she knew that she could just as easily crush Lena's hands.

"You see, Lena Luthor, for you, my friend, I would burn the world. For you, I would destroy any and all of the earths if it meant that I can save you. But for her...for her, I would save it, over and over again, until my body gives in finally, and we can both rest for eternity, together."

"It is a thankless and lonely job, but one that I am fully committed to. It gets lonely and painful but seeing her again and again…I say it's still all worth it."

Lena regarded Taja then. She seemed much smaller now, almost as if she just wanted to collapse in on herself. She understood. Gods, she understood. And she had only been living on this earth for a few decades, only having been given this much power for far less than that. So, while she understood the plight of the poor creature kneeling in front of her, almost begging, she also could not fathom the magnitude of her despair.

Without a word, she took the tightened her grip on Taja's hands and pulled her into a hug.

After a while, she heard the familiar lilt of Taja's voice, muffled in their hug.

"Hey Lena Luthor?"

"Hm?

"What do you smell when I am in this form?"

Almost mindlessly, Lena answered "Vanilla, and the sun…if that makes sense. Why?"

She felt her friend smile. "Nothing, just interesting…"

* * *

Lena had arrived in her office the next day, a little later than usual.

As she sat on her chair, she tried to process all the information she learned that evening. It wasn't so hard once you get past the vampire part, after all.

Lena almost laughed when Taja mentioned, almost in passing, that she was a vampire…sort of.

"Well, not like the ones in common literature. I don't mind the sun. Literally all they got right was the fangs and the blood. I don't turn to bats or sleep in coffins or any of that nonsense. I can't even fly, which is such a shame, to be honest. And I certainly do not shine like diamonds when exposed to sunlight."

Taja had explained that while she fed on human blood exclusively, she had stopped feeding on people directly when blood bags were much more convenient…also sort of explaining away why she was giving an exorbitant amount of money to the Red Cross and other similar institutes.

A slight knock jarred her out of her reverie and suddenly the world was just a little brighter.

"Busy?"

Kara was standing in the doorway of her office. Lena's heart almost stopped, only to beat faster as Kara stepped inside. Lena stood up and, not being able to help herself, greeted Kara with the warmest hug she could muster. Her heart flipped when Kara hugged her back, sighing. There was the vanilla scent she loved so much.

It almost hurt when she had to pull herself away. But it was getting too awkward and Lena did not want to ruin the start of a good day.

"I know you said lunch, but I was asked to do an interview with you about yesterday and I just said yes and left because…well.. I mean.. it meant…I could spend more time with you today…if you know…if it's okay of course. I'm sorry. Rambling. I'm bad at this." Kara stammered then smiled sheepishly. How could Lena say no to that?

"Why don't we do the interview now and then have an extended lunch? Tell Snapper I made you wait." Lena offered. "Besides, it's my turn to buy us lunch."

"Sounds like a plan." Kara agreed.

Lena turned to her desk and pressed the intercom.

"Jess, I'll be stepping out for a while. Do you need anything from me before I go?"

"Ah yes, Ms. Luthor. Hold on.", the voice on the other line replied.

Jess came in, carrying a thin binder.

"This just came in from legal. They said you had already approved of this last night, but they need your signature on the marked pages."

Lena held out her hand to take the binder from her secretary. As soon as she opened the binder, her heart flipped. Gesturing for Kara to wait one second, she went around back to her desk and started signing.

"I had already called Ms. Cunningham and she said she will be sending her driver to pick it up for her to countersign as soon as you're done. She had confirmed that the original document will be sent back before 4 PM today." Jess said while waiting for Lena to finish.

Lena only nodded.

After she was done, she handed the binder back to Jess with explicit instructions not to open it or show it to anybody except for Taja's driver. Jess nodded and walked out quietly.

"Was that the…?" Kara had begun when Lena motioned for her to keep quiet but grinned.

It wasn't so much an interview as more of Kara learning Lena's version of what happened.

They were at their favorite spot at Noonan's and Lena had ordered a bagel and black coffee. Kara had ordered three bagels, a sandwich, fries, and one large steaming mud of hot cocoa, with marshmallows.

"Honestly, I think the only reason I didn't panic as it was all happening was that there was a part of me that was getting used to all of this." Lena was saying.

"But the creature, she must have terrified you?"

"Not really, she was standing between me and the men that were going to kidnap me. I think I blanked out and it all happened too quickly. One moment she was between me and the men, the next she had the last guy in a headlock. Then Supergirl arrived."

Kara flinched at the mention of Supergirl but tried not to show it to Lena.

"Guess she didn't save the day this time, huh." Kara said, almost glumly. She really was relieved that Lena was saved, but a part of her wanted to do the saving. It was a stupid, childish thought, and she knew it, but there it was. And she couldn't help but feel annoyed about it.

"Nonsense. She was saving the rest of the city. She still saved the day in my books." Lena answered, smiling at Kara. It made Kara's heart do flips. There was something about Lena's smile that would always just short-circuit her brain. _I would die to protect that smile though._

"But I'm tired of speaking about this. So can we go back to our regularly scheduled rant about the old men in our lives and how creepy they all are?"

Kara laughed and soon the conversation devolved into complaints about Snapper and Lena's board. It felt good. It felt normal. And Kara liked that with Lena, she was normal. She was just someone who had stories to tell, with not much responsibility. It didn't hurt that she was talking to one of the smartest person she has ever known. Kara caught herself staring at Lena's lips while she talking, caught herself thinking how soft they must feel…and she felt warmth creep to her cheeks.

"Are you okay, Kara?" Lena asked, probably noticing how red Kara has gone.

"Uhm…yeah. I'm uh. I'm okay… Just a little flushed, I think. I ate too much. And that hot cocoa is just the best." _Smooth, Kara. Real smooth._ "By the way, about the thing earlier. Are you going to make that public?" Kara asked, desperate for a topic change.

"Well, I don't have a choice. These things are accessible to the public, for transparency's sake. However, I will not make a big deal out of it. I know Taja well enough. She hates the limelight. She would probably not appreciate it, but she's a big girl and she can carry herself well. I just don't want to make her feel like I don't care about her wish to stay private as much as possible."

"You really like her…" Kara tried not to tremble as she said this, but even she heard the tremor there.

"Of course, I do. She's still my friend. But…" And Lena leaned closer, as if to say a secret "…I like you better."

Kara froze and suddenly she didn't know what to do. Before she was even aware of what she was doing, she stood up and hugged Lena tight.

_She likes me better…_

_She likes me._


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the delay.  
Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think! Also also, this is probably going to take longer than I had planned.

* * *

Lena had insisted that Kara stayed in her office for a while. She had until 5 PM, after all, to hand over her report and it was only a little after 1 PM. To her delight, Kara agreed.

As soon as they got back to her office, Kara sat in one of the chairs opposite Lena and began working on her interview. For a while, all that could be heard in the office of Lena Luthor, L-Corp CEO, was the furious clacking of keyboards and the periodic shuffling of papers. They were both focused on the task at hand.

Lena had been studying some of the damage reports and recommendations she received from her engineers when she gambled a look at Kara. The blonde was so deeply engrossed at what she was doing, and Lena couldn't help but admire exactly how beautiful she is. Lena had allowed herself the fantasy of the two of them doing this every day. Both doing something else, but together, in comfortable silence. It made her heart ache. It was such a beautiful fantasy, except that that was all it was ever going to be.

_Kara is straight. There's really no use in falling for straight girls._

But Lena was hopelessly in love, try as she might to deny this. And the more she stared at Kara, the more she spent time with her, the more hopeless Lena's situation was turning out. She wanted to reach out and touch Kara…she wanted any and all excuse to touch her, to run her fingers through the blonde's tresses, to drown herself in those beautiful blue eyes. She shook her head and forced herself to focus, to get lost in her work as Kara was doing.

And once again, a comfortable silence had fallen over Lena's office. But maybe if you listen well enough, you could hear Lena's heart breaking softly. It was only a matter of time…

* * *

Kara Danvers has no idea what she's doing.

She's been typing and deleting the same sentence for the last 30 minutes. She had been writing her article for a couple of hours now and she was nowhere near halfway done. If she was any smarter, she should have declined Lena's invitation to stay and work in her office. She should have gone back to Cat Co., finished her article, then idled away the rest of the day. But, as Kara had discovered, Lena only needed to smile, and her brain turns to mush and her heart melts. She was also somewhat aware that Lena had this much power over her and it should be ringing alarm bells in her. But the thought of Lena, the thought of spending time with Lena, the thought of Lena's presence…it calmed her down.

At the end of the day, Kara Danvers was just happy Lena was her friend. _It is all I could ever hope for, all I could ever allow myself to want._

A gentle tapping on the door knocked Kara out of her thoughts.

"Hey Lena Luthor"

Kara did not need to turn around to know who it was. All she saw was how quickly Lena stood and smiled, almost running to the sound of that voice. It was threatening to shatter Kara's heart, but she managed to swallow whatever monster was surfacing out of her throat and turn to the door's direction.

By the time she did turn, Lena was already hugging Taja, a little longer than Kara would have liked. When they broke apart, she wanted to take Lena back and hug her too.

"My apologies. I seem to be interrupting something." Taja said, her gaze shifting between Kara and Lena. Kara wanted to just wipe the smirk out of the smaller girl's face.

"No, not at all." Lena replied. "But where are my manners? Taja, I would like you to meet Kara Danvers. Kara, this is Taja Cunningham, my friend from college."

Kara noticed the slight narrowing of Taja's eyes. It was the same calculating look she gave Supergirl. Alarm bells suddenly sounded off in Kara's mind. _She knows…_

"Ah! Finally, I can put a face on the name I've been hearing about so much these past few days." Taja walked towards her and offered her hand, which Kara carefully, very gently took. She was surprised then when Taja pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Thank you for being Lena Luthor's friend. And any friend of Lena Luthor's is a good egg in my book." Taja added, when she pulled herself away from the hug.

Objectively, Kara gets it. Taja was very beautiful. There was also something about her bearing that made her look…dignified. Kara subconsciously straightened her back, almost as a reflex.

She watched as Taja turned to Lena and handed the same binder that Kara had seen earlier.

"I wanted to personally hand this over to you. Scarlet is downstairs, freaking out your lawyers. We have made copies and she's probably delivered it to them now. But this—", Taja gestured to the binder, "this is the original copy. Congratulations, Lena Luthor…you're that much richer now."

Kara watched as Lena shook her head with the brightest smile Kara has ever seen on Lena's face.

_What I wouldn't give for her to smile at me like that._

"No, thank _you_ for trusting me with this. I'll do my best—" Taja cut Lena off whatever she was about to say with a dismissing wave of her hand.

"I know you will always do your best. So, no more thanking me. If anything, I passed a heavy burden on your shoulder…and no amount of money can compensate for that."

There was a hug again and _Rao how many times is she going to hug Lena?_

"By the way, we are still on for Friday evening, right?" Taja asked.

Kara looked at Lena who looked confused.

"Friday?" she asked.

"But we have game night on Friday…" Kara interjected before she could stop herself. It had taken some convincing but James and Winn, and especially Alex, had finally relented and allowed Kara to invite Lena. She understood their unease, but she also wanted them to know Lena not as the cold CEO of L-Corp., or the wayward Luthor child, but as Lena Luthor, Kara's friend. She watched Lena's face falter as she remembered.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kara. I completely forgot… I'm going to make it up to—" Lena was saying but stopped when Taja placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Nonsense. You should go to your friends. There are so many other days of the week we can have dinner." Taja was saying.

"Okay, but what about this?" Kara had a sinking feeling she knew where Lena was going to say. "Kara, can we invite Taja too, please?" _And there it was, that smile. I will never be able to say no now…_

"Yeah, why not?" Was all Kara managed to say.

Taja shook her head. "I hate to impose. It seems like an intimate gathering."

_But Lena's smile…._

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Kara hoped to Rao she sounded convincing.

"Yes!" Lena exclaimed, her smile wider than before, and Kara's heart was now doing a confused dance. She was happy and annoyed at the same time. "I will come pick you up then we'll go to Kara's together.", she heard Lena saying.

_Rao, what have I done?_

* * *

Alex was exhausted.

There had been several raids earlier that involved the smuggling of unregistered alien technology. She had personally overseen the entire operation and was quite pleased with how everything went smoothly. The device was still in their lab for processing and would take another day or so before they can clear it for local use, if at all. But the whole ordeal was stressful, and tense, and Alex was just happy to finally be able to just grab a bottle of beer, put her feet up, and listen to the silence of her apartment.

The silence she was listening to was broken by a text message on her phone. She wanted to ignore it but saw Kara's name popped up.

**Kara Danvers:** 'Hey Alex, if you promise not to be mad at me for what I'm about to say next, I will get you that bottle of scotch you've been eyeing at Al's for your birthday.'

**Alex Danvers:** 'Nice try. What's up?'

**Kara Danvers:** 'I may have invited Lena Luthor's friend to game night.'

**Alex Danvers:** …

**Kara Danvers:** 'I'm sorry…please say something.'

**Alex Danvers:** 'What the hell!?'

**Kara Danvers:** 'I couldn't say no. Lena was there and her friend was there and I—look it was impossible to say no.'

**Alex Danvers:** 'I don't know what's worse. You pretending you don't have feelings for Lena Luthor or bothering me with the consequences of you being unable to tell Lena Luthor your feelings.'

Alex thought about sending the last text, but quickly deleted it with a sigh. _Seriously…_

**Alex Danvers:** 'Well…you better hope she brings an expensive bottle of wine. Or scotch. Preferably scotch.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'Have I ever told you you're the best sister in the world?'

**Alex Danvers:** 'Have I ever told you you're the worst?'

**Kara Danvers:** 'I love you too.'

_Now if only she could tell Lena that…_Alex sighed. She was considering whether she should help Kara or let her figure things out on her own. It wasn't easy for Alex watching her little sister be this confused. She knew how difficult it was. She had been there. But it wasn't also her place to dictate these things…she could only wait for Kara to make up her frigg-_What the hell?_

Out of the corner of her eyes, Alex noticed an odd figure on her balcony. On instinct, Alex grabbed, as quietly as possible, the gun hidden under the couch. She crept slowly towards her balcony, and gently opened the door. Her heart was thundering, adrenaline racing through her when suddenly, time stopped…or at least Alex thinks it did.

"Why are there no stars here? You've always loved looking at the stars. I would have thought you would find a place where you can see the stars clearly."

"You…" Alex breathed.

"The city lights drown out the stars.", the creature went on.

"Are you here to kill me? Or are you going to keep talking about the stars?" Alex knew she was shaking, she could feel her whole body vibrate. She wasn't sure if it was because of the adrenaline or fear...or something else.

The creature turned her head to Alex, smiled, and Alex felt her breath hitch and the rest of her body refused to work.

_Run, Alex Danvers, goddamit...then again, this wouldnt be such a bad way to die._

"I think I'm going to keep talking about the stars." the creature shrugged. She was sitting over the edge of the balcony, her feet dangling.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, her grip on the gun tight.

"Visiting." The creature swung both her feet and landed on the balcony, inches away from Alex who seemed to have frozen. She leaned closer and in a low whisper, she added, "I would have preferred the front door, but I don't think your doorman would appreciate it."

By some feat of strength, Alex was able to raise the gun and point it just below the creature's chin. She knew it was probably futile, but if she was gonna go, she was going to put up one hell of a fight. She was determined to make sure the creature at least works for her next meal.

"Back off." Alex managed to snarl. She was hoping she would at least sound intimidating. To her surprise, the creature backed off and slowly raised both her arms in surrender.

"If it means anything to you, I once made a vow to never hurt you, on penalty of death…and I tend to keep my promises." The easy smile was gone. There was only the faint glimmer of red eyes, staring back at Alex. "I would also be remiss if I did not add that if you did pull the trigger with the business end of your gun on my chin, it would explode, taking at least your hand, at most your life. And I sincerely do not want that to happen, so if you want to aim your gun at me, do so but at a distance. Just to keep you safe."

Alex stepped back, never putting her gun down, till she was at least a couple of feet away from the creature.

"Why do you keep talking like we've met before? I don't remember meeting you."

"You have met me before. You just never remember. That's the problem with dying, you see? You tend to forget everything." There was a heavy sadness in her voice when the creature answered.

"Dying? You're telling me I have died before?"

"At least a dozen times now…sometimes by accident, sometimes by some disease, but most of the time by old age, surrounded by friends and family, especially grandchildren." There was a small smile playing on the creature's lips, as if she's remembering something bittersweet. "You have always been surrounded with love."

"I don't believe you."

The bittersweet smile was still on her lips. "You never do. Not at first. And you never remember anyway, so there's no point in making you remember all the things I know…all the things we shared."

"Are you telling me I'm some sort of reincarnation? What sick joke are you trying to pull?" Alex could feel her control coming back. She was getting mad. Not only was the creature lying, but it was feeding her this convoluted story all so…what? So she could be disarmed? So she could surrender to its seduction? No. Alex was not going to let that happen.

"Yes, and it does sound like a sick joke, doesn't it? Only, the joke's not on you. It has always been on me." The creature laughed bitterly. "Imagine finding a mate for life…only her life is much, much shorter than yours. And when she died, you were devastated, but somehow also in peace. You knew it was going to happen anyways. You were resigned to live out the rest of your days, pining for your love who was long gone…and waiting for your own death."

The creature suddenly turned around and walked back towards the edge of the balcony. Her long hair flowing smoothly with the wind. "But she keeps coming back, and you have no choice but to seek her out, to follow the desire of your heart and your soul, to fulfill the promise you once made to her…even though you kind of have to prove to her that you are worthy of her love, over and over again, with each life she has."

"I don't believe you." Alex repeated, almost in a whisper.

The creature turned towards Alex, still at the very edge of the balcony. "You don't have to. But I once promised you I will always tell you the truth. So here I am, fulfilling one of the many promises I gave you, in all of your iterations. All I ask is you give me a chance."

"A chance?"

"To prove, once again, that I am worthy of the heart you gave me, many years ago."

"That's going to be a hard sell."

This earned a surprisingly genuine laugh from the creature. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The creature looked like it was about to go when it stopped and took something out from her pocket.

"I almost forgot. I do have one other favor from you."

When Alex did not respond, the creature stepped away from the balcony and slowly walked back towards Alex again. Her eyes were on Alex the entire time. For her part, Alex could sense that the creature was trying to move deliberately slowly, instilling a sense of security. There was nothing threatening in her presence…

When she was once again mere inches away from Alex, she slowly produced a small, dark, box. It looked weathered and ancient but intricately carved. She held it out to Alex.

"I'm not letting go of my gun so you open it." Alex responded, then added with emphasis, "_slowly.._"

The creature bowed her head in ascent, then, eyes still on Alex, slowly opened the box. Inside was a simple ring. It looked about as ancient and weathered as the box. Even in the poor light of her apartment, Alex could see that the ring had deep gashes and marks born of age and use.

"Sorry. I tried to clean it, but I can't. So, I'm going to have to ask you to take it with one hand, since you have expressly said you are not letting go of your gun."

Alex was wary, for good reason. "What is it?"

"I believe the popular term for this is what people might call my kryptonite."

"What?"

The creature's smile was proud and wide. It was as if she was only too happy to know she actually had a weakness. "The only thing in all of the universe and in all the worlds in this realm that can hurt me…"

"…your wedding ring."

* * *

**Lena Luthor:** 'Hey, I just got home. Hope you submitted your report in time and Snapper did not give you any grief for it. Also, thanks for staying today. I really do enjoy your company.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'Awww. Yeah, don't worry. I made it in time. Snapper just grunted which is a good sign,I think.

**Kara Danvers:** 'Also, I really like hanging out with you. And I'm glad to hear you got home safe. I also told everyone that you and your friend are both coming on Friday. They're all excited to meet you.'

**Lena Luthor:** 'About that…I really want to apologize for putting you on the spot like that.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'What? No, you didn't put me on the spot. As I said, the more, the merrier.

**Lena Luthor:** 'Listen, let me make it up to you. Since I just got a hell of a lot richer today, why don't I take you out somewhere fancy tomorrow evening? I know a place.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'Oh man, does this mean I have to take a bath tomorrow again? ;('

**Lena Luthor:** 'LOL! Yes, unfortunately. But don't worry, I have the perfect dress in mind. I'll have my car send it to your office before lunch."

**Kara Danvers:** 'Oh come on. You don't have to do that. I'm sure I can scrounge up something in my closet.

**Kara Danvers:** You know what, I'm standing in front of my closet right now and… yeah I might need your help. But I insist on paying for the dress, at least.'

**Lena Luthor:** 'No. Taja is paying for the dress and the dinner. Haha! Come on. Let me at least show you the one advantage of having a rich friend.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'Ugh fine. Haha! It's a date then.'

**Lena Luthor:** 'Good! Great! I'll come pick you up at your apartment at 7pm. I just made reservations for us at 8.'

**Kara Danvers:** 'I'll see you tomorrow evening, then.'

Lena Luthor replied with a heart emoji and Kara's heart soared higher than she has ever flown before.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think! I'm also kind of excited to write about the "date" and Game Night.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Makes my friggin' heart gayer. Haha!**

**Oh and uhmm. Here's Date night. I should really name the chapters…also, Geezus this is long.**

* * *

It started with a panicked call from Kara to her sister.

Alex, who had barely slept, wanted to throw away the source of the offensive, incessant ringing when she saw her sister's name on the display. She groggily muttered what she hoped sounded like a greeting, but her sister on the other line seemed not to notice.

"Alex, I need a huge, huuuuge favor from the DEO."

"If this is Luthor related again, I really am going to murder you."

"Actually…it is."

Alex sighed and said nothing.

"I have a date with Lena tonight—"

_Good god, finally!_

"And you can't be Supergirl."

"Two bottles of scotch for your birthday?"

"At this rate, you're going to have to buy me a bar."

"I love you, Alex."

"Love doesn't buy me a bar, Kara."

Alex hanged up before Kara could protest. She didn't want to show it, but hey a date was a step in the right direction, at least. Besides, it was the perfect timing.

She looked to her bedside table and found the small box. Alex tried to remember the instructions the creature gave her.

"_It serves two purposes. First: On the off chance that there are other demons, it would protect you from them. Lesser demons wouldn't even dare come near you. Some of the stronger ones would, but they will most likely stay away unless they want to deal with me. Second: it serves as a line of communication between you and me. You only need to really think of me to call me and I will come, but you have to be wearing it."_

"_How do I call you when you haven't even given me your name?"_

"_Fair point. Call me Shadow, then."_

"_Shadow, huh?"_

"_Yes. It was the first name you gave me, after all. But I need to explain one more thing. Only you can wear it. And it only works on you."_

"_You said this is your weakness."_

"_Well, technically, yes. While you wear it, if you mean to cause me harm, you can. Technically, in this realm, you are the only thing that can hurt me. If you wear the ring and stab me, I will bleed, just like any other mortal. But as I said, it only works on you. And I cannot touch it."_

Alex slowly, carefully opened the box. Now that it was morning, she could see the box in greater detail. It was made of wood, carved in great detail. But it also looked battered and old. Inside she found the ring nesting on what seemed like dark silk. She remembered Shadow trying to touch it and hissing in pain. It was almost like Kara with Kryptonite.

She touched the ring gingerly. She was hoping it would do something but, by looks alone, it really just looked like an old and battered, plain metal ring.

_Okay, here goes nothing._

Alex picked up the ring and found that it fit perfectly on her left ring finger. '_Shadow…', _Alex whispered in her mind.

"I really should have gotten you a better ring."

Alex nearly jumped at the voice of Shadow who had suddenly appeared before her.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. But I did say I will come if you call, and I always keep my promises."

In the brighter, morning light, Alex could see Shadow better now. Her gleaming red eyes were fixed on the ring on Alex's finger. She had a gentle smile on her lips.

"I need a favor." Alex said, uncertain if her idea would actually work.

Shadow's eyes turned to Alex's and her smile was even wider now, as if she was only too happy to do any favor for Alex.

"Supergirl is preoccupied today and especially tonight and our organization will need your help."

"You need me to take Supergirl's place, you mean?"

"You can say that, yes."

"….and I'm not allowed to kill."

"Would that be a problem?"

"It would be an annoyance, I will admit." Shadow answered after a beat.

"Please just try…for me."

Alex felt guilty saying the last two words. It felt dirty. Here was an immortal, unkillable god, standing in front of her, offering her services, and she felt like she was still manipulating it. It didn't feel right, but one look at Shadow and Alex was once again dumbfounded.

Shadow was all smiles. She seemed genuinely happy to do Alex's bidding…excited even.

"Alright. But I have three conditions: First, that what I do would be done in secret. I would like to avoid being seen out in the public as much as possible. So, it will be on your organization to remove any electronic traces of me, pictures, videos, the works. If your organization cannot uphold that part, I will be forced to kill….and I really enjoy killing things." There was nothing sinister with the way Shadow said what she said…but even still, a chill ran up Alex's spine. Clearly, it would not be as easy to control her as Alex thought.

"Second, I only answer to you and you cannot give me under anyone else's command…even Supergirl. My heart only acknowledges your voice and my soul only responds to yours. Tell me where the trouble is and I'll do your bidding…but only as long as it is _your_ bidding to be done."

"And the third condition?"

"You will not be in the field the entire time. You will be at the relative safety of your office, away from any danger."

"That's not gonna happen." Alex stood up. She had always been a hands-on kind of person. She had never asked her team to go somewhere she is not willing to go too.

Shadow stepped closer and gently cupped Alex's face. Alex could not deny that it surprised her…but that she also craved it.

"Please understand. I feed on human blood alone, true. But that's like saying humans eat only tofu. It works…but it never satisfies. There's only one blood that I crave, one that can truly satisfy…yours. And I have been desperately hungry for thousands of years now since I first met you. If even a single drop of your blood spills, it would be enough to drive me mad with hunger."

For the first time, Alex could sense real and palpable fear in Shadow's voice.

"Fine. But only for today, and only because Supergirl is out. You cannot stop me from doing my job otherwise."

"Agreed."

Shadow dropped her hands and bowed slightly.

"I'll call you again when you are needed."

"Looking forward to it…but do you think I can…uhmmm.., Shadow was stammering and uncertain and honestly looked kind of cute.

"Are you okay?"

"Uhm yes. I was just wondering if you would indulge me with something…"

"Indulge you?"

Before she can react, the smaller girl stepped forward and closed the gap between them with a hug. Alex could feel the slow, warm breath on her neck. Her heart thundered and against all rhyme and reason, she eased into the hug, wrapping the other girl in her arms as well. She felt Shadow relax and hum softly.

Alex swore she could smell lilies…

* * *

**Alex Danvers: **'Tell Supergirl she can rest easy and prepare for her date tonight.'

Kara looked at her phone and smiled. Alex really was the best.

Snapper, on the other hand, has been insufferable the whole morning. There was some news about alien trouble, but someone had been going around confiscating photo and video evidence of what happened. There was only the start of trouble and then it would end, and no one knew how or why it ended.

Kara was almost certain this had Alex and DEO written all over it, but it seemed like they were handling things just fine so she left it alone.

Just before lunch time, as Lena had promised, Kara's dress arrived. It was still in its protective bag so no one could actually see what it was. Kara had told everyone she had a family event to attend that evening, and they kind of left her alone after that. At exactly 5 PM, she left in a hurry and flew to her apartment to get ready.

* * *

Lena's throat was dry.

When she bought that dress early in the morning, she had a mental image in her head of Kara wearing it. The light blue accents against the white would certainly bring out the sapphire in Kara's eyes. It was strapless and fell just above Kara's knees.

That mental image had kept Lena distracted for most of the day.

But what she saw when Kara opened the door to her apartment was world's away from what she had imagined. Kara was positively shining so that the sun looked pale in comparison. And Lena's poor heart was threatening to break into a million pieces.

"Hi!" Kara greeted as she opened the door. And yep, Lena's throat was very, very dry. All she could manage was a smile in response.

Kara's normally ponytailed hair was let down in gentle curls, framing her beautiful face. Her blue eyes shown against gentle eyeshadows, and her cheeks were carved to perfection. The eyeglasses were still in the way, but they only added to Kara's signature smile.

"Come in. Sorry for the mess." Kara said, gesturing for Lena to go inside.

As soon as Lena took a step though, she felt her knees buckle and suddenly she was falling…until something soft broke her fall and when she looked up, her face was inches off Kara's. If it was possible, Lena's throat was now the Sahara.

"Careful…are you okay?" Kara was saying, inches off Lena's face. Lena could feel her face on fire and all the words had left her so all she managed was a nod and a smile. She pulled away which was about the only thing she could do to ease the gnawing in her heart.

"Sorry…it's been a very long day and to be very honest, I think I may have forgotten to eat lunch. Hence, a bit lightheaded." Lena quickly explained. It wasn't necessarily a lie. She did miss lunch, but mostly because she felt so nervous and distracted the whole day that nothing, not even coffee, sat very well in her stomach.

"Uhmm. I should be about ten more minutes, then we can go. Are you sure you're okay?"

Lena nodded and that was all she could really do.

* * *

The walk from Kara's apartment to Lena's waiting car was torturous for Kara. As soon as she opened the door, Lena stood there, in her midnight blue slacks and blazer and dark green silk blouse that hugged Lena's form and cut so low, it was almost a crime to look any lower than Lena's lips…and Kara could stare at those for the whole day…._Rao what the hell is going on?_ Lena looked like the moon in all it's glory and if Kara could do so, she would write a million poems to her, and a million more stories. She was the single most beautiful being in the midst of this chaotic and dark world…and she was smiling at Kara.

Something was definitely on fire at the pit of Kara's stomach and it was threatening to spread everywhere. Lena's presence was somehow making it worse…or better, really, depending on how you look at the situation.

When they got in the car, Lena was sitting so close, Kara's senses were being overwhelmed. She could hear Lena's steady heartbeat, strong and rhythmic, almost like a song. She could smell Lena's perfume. She could feel the warmth radiating of Lena's skin.

"Kara?"

"Oh uhmmm…I'm sorry.. I was uhmm…thinking about you….re work." _Smooth save, Kara._

Lena raised a single perfect eyebrow. "My work?"

"Y-yeah. I'm supposed to write about….actually you know what…let's not talk about it." Kara hoped she sounded sincere.

"Agreed. No shop talk tonight…but I do need to finish composing this e-mail before we reach the restaurant. Do you mind?" Lena smiled, that smile…_Rao, that smile is going to be the death of me._

"No, not at all."

Kara spent the rest of the drive sneaking glances at Lena whenever she felt brave and each time, her heart would do cartwheels, a million butterflies would fly and something blazed at the pit of her stomach…it was all so painfully pleasant, but all so painfully confusing for the Kryptonian. She wanted to text Alex, but she knew Alex must still be busy. She had already done her a huge favor, after all.

* * *

They were ten minutes early and Lena did not actually need to compose an e-mail. She just wanted to keep her hands occupied with something else for the next twenty minutes, otherwise she had no idea what they would have done…what with Kara sitting so close to her.

The maître d' took one glance at Lena and bowed. He did not need to ask if they had a reservation.

He led them to a secluded corner, facing away from most people and introduced their server ("Hi my name is Barbara and I will be your server tonight.") Barbara handed them the menus, provided them with water and informed them she would be back in 5 minutes to take their orders.

Lena, of course, did not notice any of this.

She did not notice any of this because the moment they both stepped off Lena's car, Kara had taken Lena's hands and held it fast. It was warm and soft and everything that Lena had imagined it would be And when Kara let go, Lena audibly sighed in disappointment but took her seat opposite Kara.

"Lena…" Kara said, almost breathlessly, looking around "This is all so…fancy and beautiful."

"Oh this is nothing compared to how beautiful you are right now" Lena answered, then immediately wanted to bury herself. _Where the hell did that come from, Lena?_

Lena watched Kara squirm uncomfortably. _Great. Now you made her uncomfortable._

"What? N-no…that's. I mean…you bought me this fancy dress and you…you're gorgeous…is what I'm trying to say…" Kara managed to stammer out.

Lena laughed. And Kara followed suit. They laughed for a whole minute before Lena could finally talk.

"We are both terrible at this. So why don't we stop with the flatteries and just have dinner like two normal people?"

"I think that's an excellent idea." Kara answered.

* * *

"Listen," Lena said after putting away her dinner. "I do have one more surprise for you."

Kara had just finished her steak and pasta and was wiping her mouth when Lena motioned to Barbara.

"Oh…Lena, how will I ever pay you back now?" Kara said.

"Hmmm. I'll let you decide how to pay me back for tonight after you see your surprise."

As if on cue, Barbara came back carrying one huge platter of-

"Pot stickers!"

Lena's heart fully stopped for what seemed like an eternity as she watched Kara's smile turn to giddy laughter. Time slowed and Lena was treated to a slow motion of Kara eating one pot sticker after another and moaning in apparent joy.

"I knew this place didn't serve pot stickers, so I called in a favor and had them delivered here, for you." Lena said, after she recovered from what might have been a mild stroke.

"Okay, I was wrong before… _Now _I wouldn't ever be able to pay you back." Kara said, finishing the last pot sticker.

"About that, why don't we have dinner at your place, next time? You can cook something for me, I'll bring the wine and we're even"

"Nuh-uh…that's not even close to being the same as all of this." Kara gestured around in protest. Lena thought it was adorable.

"I hardly think that's up to you to decide."

Kara laughed. "Fine. But this is going to be your first and final warning. I don't cook."

"Oh speaking of going to your place, Taja had asked if there's anything you want us to bring?"

"Nope. We're good." Lena noticed the sudden change in Kara's mood. "And speaking of Taja…Do you think she'll be interested in dating Winn?"

Lena almost choked on her wine.

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking of maybe setting her up with Winn. She's single, right?"

Lena laughed. "I'm sure Winn is a good guy, but Taja is only attracted to girls. More specifically, _one_ girl."

"I thought you said she didn't have a girlfriend."

"Not sure how to explain this. Taja believes there's one girl out there that's meant for her. Don't look at me like that, it's not me." Lena thought it was adorable whenever Kara acts all jealous of Taja. "Anyways, she says she has found her, but she won't say who. She just says she's working on 'getting the girl'."

"Oh…"

"Why? Do you like her?"

Kara was taken aback.

"What? No…I'm just curious, really."

Lena was suddenly afraid. She was terrified, but she needed to ask… "Is there someone you like?"

* * *

The dinner had been going so well. In fact, it had started so well, she managed to hold Lena's hand…something she had always wanted to do. It made her giddy with happiness and it had taken a considerable amount of self-restraint on Kara's part not to smile like an idiot the entire time.

But she just had to go there… she just had to let the ugly jealous monster pop-up and talk about Taja even though Lena had only mentioned her in passing. And now Kara felt trapped…

"Is there someone you like?"

_How in Rao's name do I answer that? Think, Kara. Actually, you know what…don't think. Just…stop._

"Uhmm…I think so."

_What? No. That's not what you're supposed to say. Rao's sake, Kara...you just cornered yourself._

"You think so? You're not sure." It wasn't a question. Lena was not dumb enough to fall for these word games and Kara knew it.

_Cornered._

"I've always felt…different. Alex says its because I care too much…so sometimes I think I confuse caring with actual, romantic feelings. But I don't really know anything about romantic love. But if I ever really had it, I think I'd fight for it." Kara was surprised even at her own honesty. She was still skirting the main question, but she was hoping it would throw off Lena.

"So you're saying you're scared?" _Rao…how is Lena reading me like this?_

Kara breathed out a laugh. Was she really this easy to understand? "I'm terrified. Because if I…push through with these feelings, I may lose a dear friend and I don't know if I'm ever going to be ready for that."

Lena was quiet and Kara was scared. She had a sinking feeling that Lena understood what she was trying _not_ to say. And when Lena finally spoke, her words, her cadence were measured.

"This friend would be an idiot not to fall for you, not to see the folly of not gaining your heart."

Kara tried not to sound bitter…but her short laugh betrayed her.

"You're saying I should tell my friend and risk our friendship?"

Lena's emerald eyes were piercing Kara as she took Kara's hands from across the table and held it tight.

"I'm saying whatever happens, I will be here. I promise you. So, go kiss the people you want to kiss, and whatever the fallout of that is, I will stand behind you."

Kara held on to Lena's hand like a lifeline. To Kara's delight, Lena was not letting go either.

"Do you promise?" Kara's voice was barely above a whisper now, but Lena heard her loud and clear.

"I promise."

They both tried to steer away from the same conversation over dessert. And when Lena had finished her nth glass of wine, she took the bill and offered her hand to Kara.

"Shall we?"

Kara was only too happy to take the offered hand. This was the third time in one night that she was touching Lena's hand, holding it.

As soon as they were in the car, Kara felt the full weight of their earlier conversation. She stared at Lena who was fiddling with her phone again, muttering something about people who couldn't understand work boundaries and time differences.

…_kiss the people I want to kiss, huh?_

Kara was busy staring at exactly the part that she wanted to kiss when she heard her name.

"Kara?"

Kara's mind was silent. Her internal dialogue was mute. Her heart, though, was thundering.

"I'm going to have to call you in your promise earlier, Lena. Please…please be there at the fallout..." Kara whispered.

And before Lena could say anything, Kara gently touched Lena's face and leaned in.

* * *

**A/N: Did I just leave a cliffhanger? **_Let me know what you think! :)_


	8. Chapter 8

Lena was quite possibly drunk.

Actually, she was.

Lena needed to drink. She needed to numb this ache in her chest that had suddenly grown three sizes bigger when she learned that the woman she loved was in love with someone else. She had put up a wall and promised her unwavering loyalty to Kara, no matter how much it pained Lena to do so. She was used to putting up walls, after all. It was practically a Luthor family tradition: Put up walls and trust not to hope. Maybe she could put that in the Luthor family crest.

And it was, indeed, too much to hope for the sun to fall in love with a mere mortal. But Lena hoped, and now Lena was in despair.

She must have finished a whole bottle and a half of wine during their dinner and had only managed to keep herself steady by relying on Kara, who had not had a single drop of alcohol that evening. After asking for the check and feeling her knees weaken, not for the first time that night, she had asked for Kara's hand and used it as a sort of crutch. It gave her some much needed strength to power through the long walk back to her car and hopefully a little bit more for the infinity that would be the 20 or so minutes ride back to Kara's apartment.

As soon as they were in the car, she quickly grabbed her phone to check her e-mails. She wanted to just dive back in to work, re-focus her efforts and just wallow in despair, alone. She had a couple of "urgent" e-mails that devolved into rude demands after some time… "Some people have no sense of time difference whatsoever.", she grumbled, adding something about work boundaries, when she lost her train of thought.

Kara was quiet.

Despite her inebriated state, Lena could see that what they discussed during dinner was still bothering her friend. _Friend…it suddenly feels like such an offensive word._

Kara was looking at Lena, to be sure…but not quite meeting her gaze. She was too still, too stiff. Lena wanted to reach out and touch her, but she was afraid. She was not in complete control of herself and one more touch could send her spiraling even more out of control.

"Kara?"

Lena wished she wasn't drunk. If she wasn't, she would have understood the storm in her friend's face. But as it stood, Kara's face was unreadable and almost certainly chaotic…that is until Kara finally spoke. And when she did, it was barely more than a whisper, shaking slightly.

"I'm going to have to call you in on your promise earlier, Lena."

_Promise? I would never break my promise…not to Kara, never to Kara._

"Please…please be there at the fallout..." It almost sounded like a desperate prayer to some god when Kara said it. But Lena heard it loud and clear.

_I would never break—_

Suddenly, a warm hand touched Lena's numb face, immediately followed by the softest lips on hers.

The kiss started slow and gentle but quickly evolved into an almost desperate desire for both women to taste each other. As soon as Lena opened her mouth to try and breathe, Kara pushed her tongue in, and Lena's mind surrendered. She would let Kara have her way if it meant she could taste Kara like this, if it meant Kara would always hold her with this much need, if it meant that she would have Kara moaning into her mouth.

As if sensing that Lena badly needed air, Kara trailed kisses along Lena's jaws and cheeks, stopping to nibble at Lena's earlobes, before coming back to capture her lips again.

And then Kara froze.

_What? Was it bad? Did I do something wrong?_

Almost as if on cue, Lena heard the squeal of tires, she felt the pull of the seatbelt as it prevented her from flying forward, and the sickening crunch of metal against metal. She heard the distinct sound of automatic weapons raining down bullets everywhere. Her vision darkened and narrowed for a split second and it took her another second to regain her bearings. Immediately, her first thought was Kara.

"No!" Lena gasped as she found Kara unconscious. She was bleeding all over and was looking a sickly shade of green. Lena hurriedly pried herself away from the constricting binds of the seatbelt and tried to staunch the bleeding. "Please…please Kara…no." Her vision blurred as tears began welling from her eyes. She tried to look for her phone to call 911 but she was still too busy applying pressure to Kara's wounds.

Lena felt a sharp prick to the side of her neck and the world began to darken. Her last vision was Kara bleeding…dying.

* * *

"You could have killed her!"

Lena was still groggy, but she could hear the cold and unmistakable voice of her mother somewhere in the distance. She tried to move but found herself handcuffed to a bed. She looked around.

The room was small with bare walls and a single LED bulb in the middle. It had no windows but had a wide, heavy looking door. She found two cameras watching her. It almost looked like she was inside a vault.

She tried to pull herself up but winced in pain. She could still feel the pressure of the seatbelt which meant she would definitely find bruising across her chest.

There was a sharp click at the door and Lillian entered with the warmest smile on her face. Lena knew better than to fall for it, however. Her mother was anything but warm and pleasant.

"I see you're awake. I was worried." Lillian said as she stood beside Lena, touching her daughter's face.

Lena tried to flinch away, but a sharp pain stopped her.

"Careful. You're still hurt."

Lena did not care. She only had one thought, one thing that was hurting her far more than whatever wounds or bruises she would later find on herself. "The girl that was with me. What happened to her?"

"You mean that reporter? Surely, you could do better than her. I heard your roommate is back. Why don't you try dating her instead? She seems like she likes you." There was malice there. Lena knew her mother was not just xenophobic; she was just a hateful person in general. The fact that her bastard _daughter_ was gay was something that never sat well with Lillian.

But for money and power, both of which Taja had, her mother was almost certainly willing to overlook whatever reservations she had. Reservations was putting it mildly, of course.

"What happened to her?" Lena repeated. She levelled her voice. She had long since learned that raising her voice or showing any kind of extreme emotion to her mother was never the wisest move. She checked her emotions and fortified her walls.

"I'm afraid my men kept no one alive."

Lena's heart shattered. She felt the start of tears welling up to her eyes. She wanted to scream and lash out. She wanted to wrap her hands around her mother's neck and wring it till she died. She wanted…to die. But she pushed all this deep down inside her and kept her face still.

"What do you want, mother?" She definitely did not try to hide the venom she laced on the word 'mother'.

"I just wanted to talk."

"You could have made an appointment…oh wait, you're supposed to be in prison."

"Thanks to you."

"You're welcome."

Lena saw the flash of irritation cross her mother's face. But it was gone in an instant. She was a Luthor, after all.

"But now that you're here, I will need your help." Lillian was smiling. It was unsettling and devoid of actual joy.

"What makes you think I will help you after what you did?"

"National City Children's Hospital. Several public schools. L-Corp Building. I can think of at least several thousand reasons why you should help me."

Lena's blood ran cold. The threat was clear and simple.

"What do you want?"

"For you to rest and recover. You will need all your strength for later, when our work begins."

Lena watched as her mother walked away. As soon as the doors clicked shut again, Lena closed her eyes and felt the unbidden tears fall steadily. She wanted to wipe them away. She wanted the tears to stop. She hated that her mother was winning. But the silent tears kept coming…and they didn't stop till Lena finally fell in an uneasy sleep.

* * *

It was Scarlet who found Kara, lying in a pool of her own blood, breathing shallow and face contorted in pain.

"They have taken Master Luthor." Scarlet said as her master appeared behind her.

"Find her but do nothing unless they hurt her." Her master was already picking up the dying Kryptonian.

"You are using Master Luthor as bait?"

"For now. She will understand. Besides, I know Lena Luthor. Kara Danvers' life comes first. And she's dying."

"Where will you go?" Scarlet asked as she noted the markings on her master's hand spread to just below her right elbow. There were sirens in the distance. The police will be there in less than 30 seconds.

"DEO. They will know what to do with this one. You find Lena Luthor and let me know as soon as possible."

With a deep bow, Scarlet disappeared like gray smoke.

* * *

Alex heard the commotion and a familiar voice shouting.

"Someone get me Alex Danvers!"

Alex ran to the source of the voice and her heart stopped.

The heavy front door of DEO was smashed and several DEO agents had surrounded Shadow who was holding Kara, green and bleeding.

"Kryptonite laced bullets. They were gone when I got there. I tried to get here as fast as I can." Shadow's curt explanation was more than enough. Alex's mind went on auto-drive and pointed Shadow to the med bay. In a flash, Shadow was gone. When Alex caught up with her, she was laying Kara down on the nearest available bed, very gently, almost reverently.

Crash carts and surgeons were summoned and soon the med bay was a flurry of coordinated but crowded activities. Alex, despite her medical training, forced herself to step away. There was nothing there for her to do. More capable people were tending to Kara now.

She joined Hank, Winn, and Shadow at the next room.

"You", she turned to Shadow as soon as she was out of the med bay, "Talk. Now."

Shadow's face was pained, and Alex knew she was being cruel. She owed Shadow Kara's life after all. But she was angry and helpless. Shadow was the one thing she could control now.

"I was out on patrol. I heard gunshots in the distance, but I couldn't portal in unless I know where I'm going, so I had to run to the source of the gunshots. When I found her, she was dying."

"And Lena Luthor?"

Shadow shook her head.

"The only people there were her and the dead driver. I could hear the police coming so I thought I should just bring her here. I didn't think you would like the police finding her."

"Lena Luthor?" It was Hank who spoke up.

"She was out on dinner with her. They were probably after Lena. She was just…collateral damage." Alex answered shortly. She was getting angrier every moment.

"Why didn't you use your portal to get her here sooner?" Alex turned to Shadow again.

"Nothing alive, except me, can use my portal. If she was dead, I would portal her in. But she was still alive, barely. I can't fly, but I can run just as fast as her."

"How did you know about the Kryptonite?" Hank asked.

"It's hardly a secret." Shadow answered dryly.

"But if they used Kryptonite laced bullets, then they knew that…" Alex was grateful Winn stopped when he did. But Shadow once again shook her head.

"They also had Kryptonite armor the last time they attempted to kidnap Lena Luthor. I think they were just preparing for Supergirl to show up. They didn't actually think Supergirl would be out on a date with their target."

Alex, Hank, and Winn all stared at Shadow who stared back at them.

"Again, it's hardly a secret. The glasses are not nearly as effective. Plus, there's the whole thing about her turning green in the presence of kryptonite." Shadow said plainly, then added, "And don't bother making me sign an NDA. I don't exist, as far as you guys are all concerned, so my signature would be worthless at best."

"Then promise me." Alex heard her own voice before she could stop it. It was, again, cruel but she needed to protect Kara. She would do anything for Kara. She was capable of anything, for Kara. And Shadow had a very convenient weakness.

Shadow stared for a second before slightly bowing her head. "On my honor, I promise you, I will not tell anyone else what I learned tonight about Supergirl."

"That's not good enough, Agent Danvers." Hank protested but it was Alex's turn to shake her head.

"She is bound to her promises." Alex turned to Shadow whose face was now unreadable. "Isn't that right, Shadow?"

"Yes." The reply was curt and Alex knew she was pushing it. She wanted to feel for Shadow. She wanted to stop. She wanted to be reasonable. She wanted to be the cool, calm and collected Alex. But her helplessness was getting to her. She needed to do something. But it was Shadow who also calmed her down...

With the softest voice, almost a whisper, Shadow approached Alex. "If you wish, I could take over Supergirl's duties until she recovers. The same conditions apply, of course."

"I will not allow that." Hank stepped in and put his foot down before Alex could respond. "The DEO can handle everything. You should never have been involved in the first place."

But Alex's mind was focused on Kara now. She could hear the slow beeping of the machine in the next room. She could hear how slow Kara's heart was beating. Slow but steady._ Anything for Kara…_

"Find Lena Luthor. Bring her back safe and alive." Alex was almost whispering, but she knew everyone can hear her. She knew Shadow can hear her. "Kara will need her when she wakes up."

"And her kidnappers?" Alex heard the hunger in Shadow's voice. She was starved. She knew Shadow had been keeping her impulses at bay all day. And Alex was not feeling particularly merciful.

"Kill them all."

"You will not do that." Hank raised his voice and grabbed Alex…which was the absolute worst thing he could have done, Alex thought. In a split second, Shadow had ripped his hand from Alex as he was slammed down, creating a mini-crater on the otherwise pristine floor of the DEO. Shadow's bare foot was on Hank's neck.

"Touch her again and you're dead." Shadow snarled.

* * *

She heard the sharp clink of the door being opened and watched as a heavily armored guard wheeled in some food. A couple slices of toasted bread, something that looked like it was stew, and water in a plastic cup. Even if she had an appetite, Lena wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. The guard removed her handcuffs to allow her to eat, but she wasn't moving.

"I suggest you eat." Lillian was in the doorway, watching Lena. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner your precious city is safe."

Lena said nothing. She wasn't even looking at Lillian anymore. She was still nursing a wound she knew would never heal, that would fester and rot and eat away at her until there's nothing left. Lena's walls were well fortified now, but inside…there's almost nothing left. Just a memory of a kiss.

She touched her lips and closed her eyes. She could still feel Kara there. She could still feel her warmth despite the cold that was running through her now. She could still feel those gentle blue eyes, filled with nothing but love and kindness and hope…all things Lena never knew existed, not for real anyway, until she met Kara. She could still smell Kara around…_wait._

_That scent!_

Vanilla wafted and filled her senses. And suddenly Lena's mind was clear. She had to wait.

"I know you can hear me. Please don't rescue me yet. I need to know what she's planning." Lena muttered as low and as softly as she can.

As if to confirm, Kara's vanilla smell vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"What was that?" Lillian called out.

"Nothing. I was praying." Lena mocked but decided she had an appetite after all.

It was thirty minutes later when Lena decided she would try moving again. The vanilla smell was back and stronger than ever. But she couldn't hear any commotion so at least she knew Taja was waiting for her.

"Wait for my signal." Lena muttered under her breath. "But please, stay. I need your presence here."

Lena took an inventory of her wounds and bruises. Aside from the angry welt that the seatbelt created across her torso, she found a gunshot wound on her shoulder blade. It went clean through, at least…which was probably why she was still alive. She had a few more scrapes and bruises but other than that, she was okay.

She walked slowly around her room. She knew they were watching. It was only a matter of time before Lillian would come back.

'Only a matter of time' turned out to be ten minutes.

Two guards wordlessly grabbed Lena and while she wanted to put up a fight, she was still pretty much hurting all over. They half carried her down a long corridor lined with doors similar to Lena's room. At the end of the corridor was an elevator with only 3 buttons with no labels. One of the guards pressed the last button and Lena felt the elevator drop. For a moment, she worried, but the vanilla scent remained.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Lena discovered where she was.

"Glad you could join us." Lillian called out from behind a pristine, white table. "Welcome to CADMUS."

"It's not like I had a choice, mother." Lena answered.

"Oh you always have a choice, Lena. You can always say no. Granted, thousands of people will die and their deaths will be on your head." Lillian smiled. "But you can always say no."

Lena chose to ignore this. She wanted to leave. She was suffocating. She wanted a place where she can cry and lash out and just be alone. But she needed to be patient.

"So, I'm here. What do you want?"

Lillian motioned to one of the guards and they brought her a small metal box. They placed the metal box in front of her. Lillian pulled out a key card from her pocket and opened the metal box. From inside she produced a small vial, a thick liquid, red and yellow, swirling inside.

"This is the red sun in liquid form. It was one of the last projects your brother was working on before they got to him. I need you to synthesize and reproduce it."

Lena smiled.

"Now."


	9. Chapter 9

"Now.", Lena said in the softest of whispers.

When Lena was young, she had read about the story of a man who came looking for god.

_First came the wind, powerful enough to shatter mountains. But the man did not bow before it, for god was not in the wind._

_Then came an earthquake which split the earth and turned boulders to dust. But still the man would not bow, for god was not in the earthquake._

_After the earthquake came a great, roaring fire that melted and burned everything in its path. But the man stood still and would not bow, for god was not in the roaring fire._

_After all these, there came the gentlest of whispers._

_And the man bowed in reverence…_

Lena was in no way religious. The closest thing to religion the Luthor household had was the worship of power and money. But the story fascinated and confused her at the same time. It went contrary to what her family had ingrained in her. But she had never seen the story proven in real life…that was, until now.

Several things happened at once.

The first thing Lena noticed was her mother dropping to the floor, unconscious. Then came the realization that a gray mist was now surrounding Lena, protecting her from flying bullets that had begun raining down inside the CADMUS facility as soon as Lilian Luthor fell.

All around her, Lena could hear muted thuds and groans. There was an occasional muffled scream of pain, but this too would be silenced one heartbeat later. Finally, there was a horrible scream, a single piercing sound that begged and begged and would not stop. It echoed throughout the facility until it devolved into manic whispers, asking something, anything to make it stop.

The bullets had stopped, and all that could be heard inside CADMUS was the sobbing and whimpering of lesser men.

This all happened within ten seconds.

_…for god was in the whisper._

"Hey Lena Luthor."

Lena turned as Taja walked past her. She was in her human form, but her eyes were gleaming red.

"This is reckless, Taja. Why aren't you in your demon form?" Lena angrily hissed through gritted teeth. This was no time to be reckless about secret identities. This was no time to be reckless, period. She had lost one person tonight. She wasn't about to lose her one remaining friend.

"Would you chill, Lena Luthor? I can control my hunger better when I'm like this. Also, I needed to do something while waiting for you, so I hacked into their surveillance and disabled it. So, stop worrying your pretty little head and let's go." Taja answered, not even bothering to lower her voice, her smirk wide and careless.

Lena watched as Taja picked up Lilian and gently slung her over her shoulders. It would have been hilarious, the indignity of it all, had Lena not been in so much pain, had Lena not been so angry, had Lena not felt suddenly deprived of warmth and love and hope.

"Be careful to walk around the bodies. Try not touching them as much as you can, please. They are fragile, after all." Lena did not know how to respond to that. There was suddenly malice in her friend's voice.

They walked quietly towards the elevator. She did not dare risk even looking at the bodies, whimpering and groaning. She had had enough trauma for a day. Instead, she resolved to walk behind Taja, watching only the gentle swaying of her jet-black hair.

Lena was, at the very least, grateful that Taja wasn't saying anything. But she noticed the glances her friend was stealing at her. "What?", she snapped.

It had come off harsher than Lena thought it would, but Taja, ever the patient friend, just grinned as the elevator doors opened.

"There's no need to be so grumpy, Lena Luthor. Kara Danvers is alive."

* * *

Winn had seen his fair share of weirdness since he started working for the DEO. But this…this would be one for the books.

An hour after the creature, Shadow, had nearly destroyed the façade of the DEO headquarters in her hurry to get Kara to the medbay, and smash Director Henshaw's face in the concrete floor, she came back with Lena Luthor, looking worse for wear but alive, riding piggyback on Shadow. Lena's head was tucked in the creature's neck, as if not daring to see exactly how fast they had gone. Lilian Luthor was unconscious on the creature's arms, like a bride that had swooned.

In Winn's mind, there was no way this would have worked. The two women she was carrying was easily both heavier than her. But judging from the creature's stance, it looked like the two women she had carried and ran with was weightless. So now it just looked weird.

The creature bent her knees and allowed Lena to climb down, muttering something about Lena making sure her footing was stable. As soon as she was sure that Lena was standing steadily, she had disappeared, running inside the DEO.

He was just beginning to wonder where Shadow had gone with Lilian Luthor when he heard Lena's voice, clear and demanding.

"I need to see Kara Danvers."

* * *

"This is an interesting turn of events."

Alex looked up from her cell and found Shadow smiling at her from the other side.

As soon as Shadow left, about an hour earlier, Alex muttered an apology and something about staying in one of the holding cells to cool off. Hank had followed her and spent the next ten minutes berating her actions. Truth be told, Alex did not hear any of it. She sat on one corner of the cell, her head in her hands. In her head, she could still hear the electronic beeping simulating Kara's heartbeat and it drowned out everything.

She was vaguely aware of the tail-end of something about her being suspended until further notice, and even this did not hold any weight in Alex's head.

She only wanted one day for Kara to be normal, to have fun, to be in love. Kara deserved that one day, at the very least. Her sister had been selfless and generous with her powers for too long. _Was even one evening too much to ask for? _

Alex knew it was her fault.

"So how long are you in for?" Shadow asked, still on the other side of the glass.

"As long as Director Henshaw thinks I should be here. You literally threatened to kill him because of me."

Shadow laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Mind if I join you for bit, then?"

Alex shook her head. "No. And I should be the one apologizing to you. I lost my head. I was unfair to you and…oh god. I made you kill all those people!" Alex could feel the beginning of a full-blown panic attack, as if she had just now realized the gravity of what she had asked Shadow to do.

Alex stood up and started to pace around. She tried to control her breathing, but her heart had now begun to race. She could feel her lungs constricting and her head was suddenly hazy. It wasn't until she turned around and found herself face to face, dangerously close to Shadow, who portal-ed into the cell, that she stopped pacing. Slowly, very carefully, Shadow wrapped her arms around Alex.

Almost immediately, Alex felt her heart slow down. And suddenly a dam of pent up frustration crashed, and Alex had no way of stopping it.

"She could have died. And I…there was nothing I could have done. I feel so useless and angry and I'm sorry I used you. I'm sorry I was so cruel to you when all you did was help. And…" But Alex lost her words when Shadow tightened her hug.

"I didn't kill them." Shadow whispered.

"Y—what?" Alex stepped back. She stared at Shadow, searching.

"Did you honestly think I would let you to carry, on your conscience, the burden of their deaths?"

"But—but I asked you to kill them…"

"…only as long as it is your bidding to be done…remember?" Shadow's smile was gentle.

"Yes…and I ordered you to kill them." Even Alex was not sure why she was fighting this.

It was Shadow's turn to shake her head. "It wasn't you back there. It was someone angry and confused and lashing out. It was someone in pain. But it wasn't you. Besides, I have a higher mandate: Never to hurt you in any way, shape or form. If I had gone through with it, it would have hurt you deeper than if I had just killed you."

Alex stared at Shadow in disbelief.

"So…they're all alive?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." There was something deadly about the way Shadow said it that Alex was sure there was a catch. But she couldn't care less. She had just been relieved of a burden she thought she was going to have to carry for the rest of her life.

"Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow grinned. "Don't thank me just yet. Lena Luthor is upstairs and demanding to see her date. And I'm not sure she knows that her date was Supergirl."

"Fuck." Alex muttered.

* * *

"For the last time, Ms. Luthor, this is a restricted facility and we cannot just let you in." Alex could hear the frustration in Hank's voice as she hurried towards them.

"It doesn't matter. You are illegally detaining a civilian—Kara Danvers—in your facility and I demand to see her at once." Even when she had just been drugged and kidnapped, even after just going through that much trauma, it was particularly impressive, at least to Alex, that Lena Luthor could stand her ground against the Director of the DEO.

Hank was about to say something when Alex inserted herself in the middle of the two.

"Hi Lena. I'll be with you in a sec, I just need to talk real quick with Director Henshaw here." Alex said quickly before pulling Hank out of Lena's earshot.

"Let me handle her." Alex pleaded.

"And what makes you think I will let you do that after what you did earlier?"

"Because there are only two people in this entire building that Lena will speak to and one of them is in a coma under a sun lamp." Alex whispered between gritted teeth,

"Fine." Hank sighed. He looked around "Where's your—Shadow? I need to know—"

"I've left the coordinates of CADMUS's base with your team." Shadow answered, cutting Hank off. She had portaled in, almost on cue, and was standing behind Hank. Her eyes were dark and glimmer-less, but when those same eyes fell on Alex, Shadow managed to summon a weak smile.

_She must be starving right now._

"I have also deposited Lilian Luthor in one of your holding cells. I'm going home." Shadow added, almost as an afterthought.

Alex watched as Shadow opened her portal again and walked through it without a glance back.

"Deal with this quickly then go home, Agent Danvers." Hank hissed at Alex before walking away.

Alex nodded, sighed, and returned to Lena.

"Hi. Sorry about that. It's been a long and tiring day for everyone." Alex explained, hoping to at least calm Lena down. But based on what little she knew about Lena, there was no calming her down until she gets what she wants.

"Where is Kara?"

_Think, Alex._

"She's still undergoing surgery. When Shadow, the girl that rescued you, brought Kara here, she had multiple gunshot wounds. The bullets were laced with Kryptonite so Shadow thought that it would be best to bring her here, as we are better equipped to deal with alien technology."

"But Kara is human…"

"She had small shards of kryptonite embedded in her body, Lena. They might be harmless to humans, but that's still a foreign object embedded on a human body. Not to mention the bullets—" Alex couldn't bring herself to continue. She had seen Kara's dress. It was riddled with bullet holes. Her dumb, selfless, madly-in-love sister had used her body to shield Lena from the worst of it.

Something about her voice must have broken something in Lena as her face fell and she hugged Alex, albeit gingerly.

"I'm sorry. This is so inconsiderate of me. You must be just as worried as me, if not more so." Lena muttered when she pulled away from the hug.

Alex smiled weakly.

"Listen, I know there's no pushing you away, but you must be exhausted. We have showers and sleeping quarters here. I can scrounge up something more comfortable for you to wear. Rest here and wait till Kara's out of surgery." Honestly, Alex was not sure if that was even allowed, but she cannot be any more suspended than she was now.

Lena agreed and Alex led her to the lockers.

* * *

CADMUS's facility was an abandoned factory near the docks. On the outside, it looked like any other decrepit factory, a remnant of an age passed. It had boarded up windows, graffiti an ivy-covered outer wall, and a front door held together by a chain. Clearly wherever Shadow got in and out was not the front doors. With ease, he pulled apart the heavy chain and pushed.

J'onn J'onnz has seen his fair share of battles. He was no stranger to blood, broken bones, and death.

What they found inside was nowhere near what J'onn J'onzz expected.

Bodies littered everywhere, all of them conscious, moaning, groaning, and whimpering, their faces contorted in pain. J'onn noted the lack of blood, but the sounds coming out of the bodies were enough fuel for a nightmare. One of the DEO agents attempted to move a body out of the way. When she did so, a piercing scream rang clear throughout the facility. As soon as the scream started, all the bodies started screaming too. It took a bit of time before the screaming died down.

"Do not touch the bodies." J'onn ordered, slightly annoyed. He was sure this was still part of Shadow's plan to make his life miserable since he touched Alex.

But they do need to remove the bodies eventually, so he opted to search the memory of one of the CADMUS agents. He had to know what happened to them before they can clear them out.

As soon as he had accessed the memory of the body nearest him than he was forced to pull out. There was nothing there but pain. He felt it in his body, sharp, piercing and crushing. He was barely aware that he was already on his knees. He took a minute to steady himself and tried again, but it was like the harder he tried, the greater the pain he endured.

When he had recovered again, he tried the nuclear option and removed the man's memory entirely. That seemed to work. The groaning stopped and he seemed to have fallen asleep.

_If I'm correct, Shadow would leave one, just one witness. So now it's just a matter of looking for that one particular needle in this screaming haystack of bodies. That woman really is a monster…_

It had taken J'onn J'onnz 4 hours of intense pain to finally find the needle in the haystack, down in the basement. But Shadow was still at least considerate enough.

The witness she left traumatized beyond repair at least had 6 CADMUS facilities in her memory and was the head of security of this particular facility. There was much there that J'onn could harvest.

_She is a monster, sure. But I'm just grateful she is at least Alex's monster._

* * *

Kara had the weirdest dream.

She was kissing Lena. She could feel Lena's soft lips and velvet tongue. She could taste Lena's mouth and feel the warmth of her breath. Kara's heart was dancing and her body was on fire.

And then she felt it…amidst the joy and the pleasure singing in her veins, she felt it. Tiny shards of poison, coming for Lena. She didn't think. She didn't have to. She repositioned herself and braced for its coming.

And then her body _was_ on _fire_. A different kind of fire. Like nails were being dragged under her skin and tiny, sharp, knives flowed through her veins instead of blood. The world was dark for just a second before she heard Lena.

Lena was crying. Lena was crying because of her and it broke Kara's heart. She had never wanted Lena to cry. She wanted to reach out and touch Lena's face and apologize. But her arms were heavy and suddenly it was too cold. Her body was somehow on fire and freezing at the same time.

Something took Lena away from her. She couldn't see now. The pain was too much. They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…

Next thing Kara remembers were two figures. One was tall and lanky with a long and narrow torso. It looked like a stretched humanoid form, out of focus and smoky. The smaller one was slim and beautiful, with long flowing hair as dark as blood. Kara could make out a misty sort of twisted crown on top of the smaller one's head and a long black sword sticking out of her back, as if she was stabbed with it. But it was out of focus too, like it was there, but also wasn't.

She watched, fascinated, as the taller one disappeared in a puff of gray smoke.

She felt herself being lifted then, like a bride, by the smaller creature. She had a fleeting thought that if someone had found them, it would look hilarious. She tried to laugh but the pain was blinding. It was then that she heard the smaller one talk. She couldn't understand what the girl was saying but the sound of her voice was mesmerizing. She smelled like Lena.

_Something took Lena away from her. She couldn't see now. The pain was too much. They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

She felt herself slipping. The world had turned dark again. It was just her and the other girl now.

She just wanted to close her eyes and rest.

Kara wanted to sleep. But something heavy was on her chest. It wouldn't let her sleep. She never realized how tired she was until today. She had done enough good in this world, right? She deserved to sleep. It was quiet now, save for the smaller girl's voice. The constant noise around her was muted and maybe, she would be able to rest now.

_Something took Lena away from her. She couldn't see now. The pain was too much. They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

"Not so fast, sunshine. Lena Luthor is waiting for you."

It was the girl's voice again. But it was different, more commanding. There was something heavy on Kara's chest. She wanted to get rid of it. _What is that?_

Kara looked down and found that the misty, twisted crown on the girl's head was now on her chest. It was keeping Kara down. She couldn't fly. She couldn't move. She couldn't get away. She wanted to get away, but the crown was heavy. _The world was dark now. It was just her and the other girl._

What was that saying? _Heavy is the head that wears the crown._ Oh boy, it wasn't just the head. They should change it to 'Heavy is the _insert body part here_ that wears the crown'.

Slowly, she noticed the pain was diminishing. And when the pain was gone completely, the girl stood beside her and took her crown back. She smiled sort of benignly, showing sharp, gleaming fangs.

As soon as the crown was back on the girl's head, the world turned instantly brighter and warmer and Kara felt her strength coming back.

"_Now_, you can go to sleep, sunshine, but not for long. Lena Luthor is still waiting for you."

Kara heard her voice, raspy and weak, reply "Thanks, fangs."

There was a faint echo of laughter and she wasn't sure if it was her or the girl.

_They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

But she did sleep. And she didn't have any dreams after that.

* * *

Scarlet felt her master's return. Scarlet also felt her master's hunger.

She found her master, in human form, covered in blood and huddled in one of the bedrooms, the ice chest where they kept the blood bags was turned to its side, empty. Around her master were empty blood bags. She had completely drained her stock for the week.

"It's not enough…" her master whispered, a dangerous, desperate edge in her voice.

With a snap of her fingers, a golden portal appeared beside her master. She had barely managed to drag her master towards the portal when Scarlet felt an immense pressure beside her. Her master was now in her full form. If she had done this in the human realm, Earth would have disintegrated.

That evening, a hundred or so greater demons died, drained of blood and limbs strewn about for miles and miles, as the High Lord rampaged throughout her realm, in a desperate bid to sate a hunger that can never ever be satisfied.

It was glorious and the Demon realm reveled in it.

It had been too long, after all, since this much blood has been spilled in their realm.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking too long. I should have at least one more up before the end of the year. Thank you all for your kind words.  
I kind of pity Shadow here, honestly. Let me know what you think though.


	10. Chapter 10

When she was ten years old, Lena Luthor found a small, mangey puppy hiding in the bushes in their garden. It looked like it was starving. Its skin was stretched raw over bare bones. She knew she would never be allowed to keep the puppy, but she thought maybe she could at least help it. Take care of it and feed it until was well again and it could survive being on its own.

So, for the next few days, Lena started "craving" milk. She would always ask for a glass of milk to drink before she went to sleep. The servants obeyed without question. And as soon as the lights were all off and the Luthor Manor was deadly quiet, Lena would steal towards the garden and coax the poor puppy to drink some. It had started working. Lena could tell the puppy was growing stronger. It was still too weak to move around too much, but it had started wagging its tail and its eyes were just a little bit brighter.

And then, one evening, she found her mother waiting for her at the bottom of the marble stairs, leading to the garden.

"Don't bother going, Lena. It's dead." Lilian said, without a touch of affection.

"No. That can't be. He was getting better." Lena's voice was shaky, and she felt numb.

"It had mange. It would have died eventually. You were just prolonging its suffering."

"…let me at least bury him." Lena pleaded, but the look her mother gave her dashed all her hopes.

"I told the help to throw it along with today's trash."

Lena began to sob. She held on to her glass of milk like a lifeline, but she couldn't help the tears that violently rushed out of her. It wasn't until she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder that she managed to temper her tears. When she looked up, however, Lilian had nothing but ice in her eyes.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Lena. Love is weakness. Affection is a chink in your armor. A Luthor has need for neither." Lilian started to walk away when she added, "Besides, you are not deserving of something so…fragile."

It was the first lesson Lilian taught her, a lesson she kept close to this…whatever this is in her chest.

That is until she met Kara Danvers.

But Kara was just as fragile as that poor puppy, if not more so. She was selfless and kind and generous with her affections. She was everything Lena was taught to never be. She loved everyone too much and cared for them intensely. She was, according to Luthor traditions, weak and imperfect.

…something Lena should never have had to begin with. Something Lena should have never wanted.

And now, because of her, Kara almost died.

If the universe did send any kind of signal, it was most reasonably this: '_…you are not deserving of something so…fragile.'_

* * *

"Master Luthor?"

Lena wasn't sure if she was hearing things, or if this was part of some weird dream. The problem with the dream theory is that she needed to be asleep for it to be true, but she wasn't. She had been awake since Alex left her alone…and that had been hours ago.

She was told she would be alone. The room that Alex let her sleep in was narrow and bare, with bunk beds on either side. Alex had assured her that no one else will be using that room, except her. "We have several other sleeping quarters. I'll make sure you will have this to yourself, at least for tonight." Alex had said.

She briefly considered just renting a room in the nearest hotel, but that was farther than she wanted to be with Kara, so she gladly accepted Alex's hospitality.

_…Kara._

"I'm sorry to bother you while you were sleeping."

Someone tall was standing beside her bed. So tall that Lena had to sit at the edge of the bunk bed to see Scarlet's head. She briefly considered asking how Scarlet found her or even how she got inside the DEO, but after what she had seen Taja can do, Lena decided she didn't want to know, after all.

"My master wishes to let you know that she would be gone for the next few days. My master would also like to apologize for not being able to tell you herself but that she did not want you to think she was abandoning you again like she did before."

"Is she okay?" Lena was suddenly fully alert. Taja had looked fine when Lena last saw her.

"Yes, my master is fine. It's just she…" Scarlet trailed off, suddenly unsure.

"Out with it, Scarlet." Lena had neither the patience nor the strength for uncertainties now.

"She was starving, Master Luthor. She had not fed the whole day and she had used quite a lot of her energy what with all that happened today. She did not have time to feed…so she lost control."

Lena's blood ran cold. How many did she say she killed the last time she lost control? Did she say hundreds? Thousands? Lena's mind was running at top speeds. How in the hell is she supposed to cover for the death of hundreds of people?

"Where is she now?" It was all Lena could think to ask.

"At her childhood home, in our realm. She barely managed to open the Demon Gate before losing control. But she is starving still, Master Luthor. And she will need a few days to collect herself."

"So…so she didn't lose control here?"

"No, Master Luthor. The master made it to our realm before truly losing herself."

Relief flooded Lena and she breathed deeply. "Thank you for letting me know, Scarlet."

With a slight bow, Scarlet disappeared in a swirl of gray smoke.

Once again, Lena Luthor was left alone with her thoughts, and it was the loneliest feeling in the world.

* * *

Kara woke up to the warm glow of the sun lamp.

The med bay was completely deserted.

_Fangs, you liar. You said Lena was waiting for me._

She wondered for a moment why she thought that, but it was true. She had hoped to see Lena when she woke up, not this empty room. She wasn't even sure if Lena was okay.

_They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

She tried to move but found that everything was hurting. Even turning her head around felt like such a gargantuan task. But she had to stand up, she needed to rescue Lena. Thoughts of Lena, alone and afraid, locked somewhere, flooded her mind so that suddenly, the pain she felt was tolerable at the very least. She tried to move again.

There were wires and at least one needle impeding her movement. Normally, a quick yank and it wouldn't be a problem, but her arms felt like lead—the kind that also hurt, if that made sense. But she pushed through and got rid of the annoying things. Something somewhere started beeping, but that only made Kara want to hurry and leave.

_Maybe Fangs meant Lena was waiting for me to rescue her._

She felt her knees buckle at her own weight when she got off the bed. Rescuing Lena was going to be a lot harder than usual. Kara, at the back of her mind, knew she was well and truly human right now. But she has seen ordinary humans perform extraordinary feat under pressure. And Lena's life, Lena's safety was more than enough pressure for Kara. So, she grabbed the sides of the bed for support and then slowly, shakily started walking out of the medbay.

_They took Lena away. They can't take Lena away. Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

"Kara?"

Kara's heart stopped for one moment as and she slowly turned around. She had memorized that rich alto voice. It was the only voice that commanded her attention, that called to her as nothing else probably ever will. The world was going dark again. But Kara reckoned she could still find the source of that voice in the deepest of darkness. So, she trudged on as the world was falling apart around her and everything was going hazy but for that voice: clear and rich and strong.

"Kara!"

She tried to apologize. She tried to tell her. But the earth slid beneath her and she was falling again.

_Kara hasn't apologized yet. Kara hasn't told her yet…_

The last thing Kara saw as the world collapsed in on itself again were the most beautiful pair of seafoam green eyes calling to her…calling her back.

* * *

The next time Kara woke up, there were no more beeping sounds, no more sun lamps, just a warm hand holding hers.

"Kara?"

Alex's voice was tired. Under the harsh light of the med bay, Kara could see lines under Alex's eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week.

"Alex? Where's Lena? I thought…" She was sure she heard Lena. She was sure Lena would be there.

"Lena's safe, Kara. She found you passed out in the hallways and we brought you here."

In Kara's silence, Alex proceeded to explain everything that happened after Kara and Lena's date. She explained how she got suspended and then was immediately reinstated the next day without any explanation from Director Henshaw. Lilian Luthor was also once again in maximum security but was not speaking to anybody. How Director Henshaw had been flying around as Supergirl to discourage any rumors that she was gone. She told Kara how Lena had called Alex in a panic after finding Kara in the hallway, how they had to carry her back to her bed and let her rest; how Kara had tried to apologize while Alex and Lena half-carried her.

Kara listened in silence. Something was breaking inside her and she couldn't really place her finger on it.

"…and that was almost a week ago, sis." Alex finished.

"And Lena?" Kara asked.

Kara felt the hesitation in Alex even before she answered. "She…she hasn't been here since. She texts me at night asking for your condition and I answer her and that's it." After an awkward silence, Alex muttered something about how she should probably call Lena.

"Please, Alex. Tell her I want to see her. Please." Even Kara was surprised at the desperation in her voice.

Alex nodded and fiddled with her phone.

"Hello? Hi. This is Alex Danvers. Is Lena Luthor there? Can you tell her it's important?"

Kara listened in. She heard Jess' familiar panicked voice.

_'Hi Ms. Danvers. Unfortunately, Ms. Luthor is indisposed and asked not to be disturbed. But I can take a message if you'd like.'_

"This is rather urgent, but can you please inform her immediately that Kara Danvers is awake and looking for her?"

_'Oh. Uhh. Yes. I will let Ms. Luthor know as soon as she is back from her meeting.'_

"Thank you."

Kara closed her eyes and breathed in. "I'm guessing this isn't the first time you tried calling her?"

Kara felt Alex's hands on hers again as she kept her eyes closed. She was desperately trying to hold back her tears. She felt like if she opened them, the floodgates would open and she wouldn't know how to stop.

"I'm sorry, Kara. I'll keep trying."

"No, it's okay, Alex" Kara shook her head and finally opened her eyes. "…but please. I want to go home."

* * *

After obtaining approval from Director Henshaw to send Kara home, Alex drove Kara to her apartment.

"…I should probably call Snapper." Kara said, almost absentmindedly.

"About that. Lena took care of that too." Alex wasn't sure if she should continue since Kara looked like she wasn't listening anyways, but the silence was deafening. "She called Snapper and told her a heavily edited version of what happened. Basically, Snapper thinks you're back in Midvale, recovering. And with a little pressure from Lena, he assured her that you are welcome back as soon as you are okay to work again."

There was a hum from Kara as a response and the rest of the drive was quiet.

When they got to Kara's apartment, the sisters busied themselves in silence. Without needing any prompting, Alex ran Kara's bath and as soon as it was ready, called Kara in. While Kara was taking her bath, Alex had fixed Kara's bed and prepared her sister's comfy PJ's. It wasn't too hard for her to find something loose for Kara to wear.

Alex tried to control her breathing when she helped Kara get into her PJ's. She had seen and dressed the wounds on Kara's back every day since she passed out, but the gravity of it always seem to come to her as a shock. Kara didn't just take one or two, she had more than a dozen bullet holes on her back. It was a miracle she even survived. But it also explained why it was taking her much longer than usual to recover. The doctors had assured Alex there was no more Kryptonite in Kara's system, but that the damage it did wreaked havoc on Kara's body. Even with the sun lamp on 24/7, she still needed almost a week before she regained consciousness.

Kara mumbled a weak 'Thank you' as she slowly, very carefully, sat on her couch. Alex could see she was still in pain but was not quite sure whether it was physical or something else.

"Do you want me to put on a movie while I order something?"

"I'm okay, sis."

"Are you really?"

Kara was about to reply when a soft knock came from the door.

Alex briefly glanced at Kara who had a curious look on her face. When Kara did not seem to want to move, Alex walked to the door, hoping against hope that it was Lena. Instead, she found a pair of bright amethyst eyes staring back at her.

The woman standing at Kara's doorway was, in no uncertain terms, beautiful. She had on a simple black shirt, French-tucked into slim jeans and matching black sneakers. Her raven hair was tucked neatly behind her ears framing a perfectly carved face. And yet, despite the simplicity of what she was wearing, she was still exuding that air about her that said that her black shirt was probably worth more than Alex's rent every month.

It took a moment for the face to register in Alex's head, but it was unmistakably the same girl from the restricted files.

"Good evening. My name is Taja Cunningham, a friend of Lena Luthor's. Is this Kara Danvers' residence?"

"Uhm. Alex Danvers, Kara's older sister. And yes, this is Kara's apartment." Alex responded. She was just beginning to wonder what Taja Cunningham was doing there when the woman spoke.

"A pleasure to meet you, Alex Danvers. I was afraid I rang the wrong apartment." She had an easy, almost shy smile. "Am I late?"

"Late?"

"For game night." Taja answered simply.

"Taja?" Kara called out from the couch.

Alex stepped aside to let Taja in. The other woman took a second to look around then turned back to Alex and asked, "Does this mean I'm early or was the whole thing cancelled?"

It was Kara who answered. "Didn't Lena tell you?"

"Didn't Lena Luthor tell me what? I've been trying to call her since I landed about an hour ago, but she wasn't answering her phone. When I rang her office, her secretary told me that Lena Luthor was gone for the day, so I assumed she went here."

"So you don't know where she is?"

"Not at the moment, no. But I can find out easily enough. There is, however, a slight hitch."

Both sisters looked at Taja curiously, and, as if on cue, another knock came from the door. When Alex opened it, she found a tall woman in a black tuxedo holding a 4 large pizza boxes and a huge paper bag on top of it and on her other hand, two bottles of what looked like scotch."

"This is Scarlet, my bodyguard. Scarlet, this is Alex Danvers and her younger sister Kara Danvers." Scarlet, however impossible it seemed, bowed deeply before entering and unloading the pizza boxes and the bottles of scotch on the dinner table.

"I'm not quite sure what to bring to gatherings like this but I do remember Lena Luthor mentioning Kara Danvers' love for pizza and pot stickers, so I hoped I brought enough. It seems, I may have brought too much. The scotch, I mostly bought for myself. Liquid courage, so to speak." Taja explained.

Without another word, Scarlet turned towards the door and was about to leave when Taja stopped her.

"Scarlet, I seemed to have lost Lena Luthor. Text me as soon as you've found her then you can have the rest of the night to yourself…and yes, you can take the car. I'll grab a cab back to the hotel."

Scarlet bowed once again and Taja gave a gracious nod, as if confirming that Scarlet can, indeed, go. It was almost a dance, Alex noted, the way the two women communicated.

As soon as the doors were closed, Taja suddenly seemed lost and awkward. _She really isn't used to this…_

"So…would anybody want to tell me what happened while I was away?"

To Alex's surprise, it was Kara who explained everything...in much the same way Lena had heavily edited the story for Snapper. Taja, who had insisted on standing, '_Please, I've had a long flight and I've been sitting the entire time.'_, nodded but did not say anything. When Kara was done, Taja, in turn, explained that she had been gone for the week _'to take care of some business on the other side of the world'_. She explained that she wasn't even sure if she was going to make it, but that this night seemed important to Lena Luthor, so she did her best to make it back in time for game night.

Kara said nothing but Alex could see the confusion on her face.

"I'm glad Lena has you again. You really should go to her." Kara's voice was flat and weak and it broke Alex's heart. Taja, on the other hand, was smiling.

"Ah. I was afraid you would infer something of the sort. And now I have overstayed my welcome." She pivoted slowly to walk away but just as she was touching the door handle, she sighed, and said, "I do have to ask you for a favor, Kara Danvers. Please be patient with Lena Luthor."

Without another word, Alex watched as the lonely figure of Taja Cunningham walked out and gently closed the door behind her.

And in the awkwardness of the moment, Alex being the perfect sister, offhandedly mentioned, "Did you know she brought two bottles of The McCallan Lalique, 72 years? I know you don't like her, but I love her taste in scotch, so consider all those scotches you promised duly paid now."

For the first time that night, Alex saw a whisper of a smile cross Kara's face.

* * *

Lena really was actually busy. In the past week, she had been more productive than she had ever been for years, and that was saying something. After all, she single-handedly revived and rebranded their company through sheer force of will and the dogged persistence that only a Luthor can have. But over the course of the week, she had reviewed their finances in a day and sent her recommendations to the board and redesigned their labs so that it was now going to run a bit more efficiently. She also overhauled her security detail and enhanced the security system around L-Corp Building and her home. She even managed to have the spare time creating synthetic blood, in pill form (she was quite proud of that bit), that she was hoping would work for Taja's cravings…so she didn't have to go rampaging when the world suddenly runs out of donated blood.

Admittedly, her projects had been all over the place, but when she did commit on something, she pushed through. All in all, she had been highly productive…so that when she came home at night, she would have no choice but to collapse in bed, only having one last push of energy to check on Alex.

That evening, she received a text from Jess that said Kara was awake. She deleted the message immediately and buried herself in research.

"Hey Lena Luthor."

Taja's familiar lilt rang clear across the now empty lab. The last of the techies left hours ago and she vaguely remembered Jess begging her to go home. But she was busy, so she threatened to fire Jess if she ever heard her ask Lena to go home again.

"What are you doing?" Taja asked, as she sat on one of the lab desks, just behind Lena's research desk.

"Welcome back to the land of the weaklings." Lena was running on sugar and caffeine. "I'm working on a more compact, efficient, child-friendly, and more importantly, less claustrophobia-inducing MRI. I'm still working out the kinks but it should be done by next week and should be approved for use by the end of the month." Lena replied, too proud to even take a breath.

"You know that's not what I meant."

Lena sighed. She really didn't have time for this. "And what did you mean?"

"I mean, what are you doing here when there is a clearly distraught Kara Danvers on the rent-controlled side of town, clearly missing you, clearly in pain because you apparently think that paper works and trinkets and quiet MRI's are far more important than the girl who saved your life?"

"And you know this because?"

"Because you wouldn't answer my calls. Because I tried my very best to collect myself in time for this game night you were so excited about and when I couldn't reach you, I thought you were already there. So like an idiot, I stood there with pizza and pot stickers and scotch, listening as a broken, barely-keeping-it-together ball of what looked like a collapsed sun told me how you never even visited her. So, I ask you, Lena Luthor. What are you doing?"

"Keeping her safe." Lena's voice grew cold and passive. She felt the clench in her heart, but she didn't want that reflected on her face. She had to be strong.

There was a beat of silence before she heard Taja drop down from the table and stand behind her.

"Fine, so be it. But I will say this: Give her a chance. Anybody who is willing to take a hailstorm of bullets for you is certainly stronger than you give them credit for."

Lena slammed her palms down. She felt an echo of pain shoot through her arm, but her anger powered through and she turned to Taja.

"But that's the problem, isn't it? She almost died. If it wasn't for you, she would have! I keep seeing her in my dreams, cold and lifeless…and I don't want that to happen to her. It would be enough for me to know that she is happy somewhere else, being someone else's sun because then I know she's alive. I don't want her to die, Taja. I would rather have her be mad at me, distant and angry, than dead!"

Lena watched as Taja shook her head with a smile and turn back to her demon form. Her eyes were burning red and hungry as she stared at Lena…and the telltale vanilla and sunshine smell wafted around the lab. It was evident that she was still struggling with her hunger, that she needed more time. Lena could see how hard Taja was still fighting to control herself. She tried to reach out but Taja flinched.

"You once told me that when I am in this form, you smell vanilla and sunshine. I smell different to everyone…did I tell you that? What you smell is what your heart desires the most. It works very well for demons for we are, after all, creatures of desire. It stuns our enemies for a second, and that second is long enough for us to go in for the kill. But the effect for humans is just as powerful."

Lena watched as Taja collapsed on her knees and was back on her human form. Her breathing was uneven as she gathered herself and stood up gingerly. She took a deep breath to settle herself before continuing.

"You see, I don't care that you think you're protecting Kara Danvers. As long as you're being a stubborn, selfish jerk, I don't care if I risk the entire human race, I will keep showing up in my demon form, hungry and desperate, just to keep reminding you of the one person your heart desires the most. So, I ask you, Lena Luthor. Who smells like vanilla and sunshine?"

* * *

"Why do you care so much?" Scarlet asked when she found her master at their penthouse suite later that evening.

Her master was pouring over a book that looked about half as tall as her and almost as ancient, alternating drinking between blood bags and a bottle of scotch. From the looks of it, Scarlet was going to have to go out and buy more blood bags and even more scotch.

"I've never, in all of the times she had been reborn, met her in a more complicated position, Scarlet." Her master answered distractedly.

"Yes, I understand that, Master. But I'm not really talking about Master Danvers. I'm more curious about Master Luthor. Why do you care so much?"

Her master was suddenly pensive. After a while, she replied, "I suppose because she reminds me so much of Kaneh. I was never there for her. I was gone all the time, and when I finally had time…it happened."

"The young master adored you even to the end, you know that, yes?"

"I do. And it's what haunts me. I feel like maybe I can honor her if I can at least take care of Lena Luthor."

"Just…don't forget that Master Luthor is as human as Master Danvers…only, Master Luthor will not come back."

"I know. Speaking of Alex Danvers…"

* * *

Alex dropped her bag beside her door and nearly crawled to her bed. She was exhausted.

She wanted to stay with Kara, but Kara insisted on kicking Alex out.

"I love you, Alex, but you seriously need to go home and get changed and sleep. I'll be fine. I still have Taja's pizza and pot stickers to keep me company. You can take her scotch. Please…" Kara had said before pushing Alex off the couch.

Alex suspected that Kara just wanted space to process everything, and by god, Alex was going to give Kara everything she wanted. So, she begrudgingly agreed and went back to her apartment. Besides, there had been something else that had been bothering Alex…her ring was not working.

'Shadow…'

It would be a lie if she said that the only reason she couldn't sleep was because of Kara. She was also worried for Shadow. She had looked so exhausted and hungry the last time Alex saw her. Every night, she would call to her, but there was no response.

'Shadow…' Alex tried again.

Instead of Shadow's voice, however, there was a soft knock on her door.

Alex wanted to ignore it. _I mean, who could be knocking at this ungodly hour?_ But the knock came again so she pulled herself together and walked to the door.

When she opened it, she found Taja Cunningham's bright amethyst eyes staring back at her for the second time that evening.

"You called?"

* * *

A/N: Chapter 10 before the year ends! Sorry for the slight ansgty-ness, and the useless lesbians. XD  
Thank you for sticking by. We still have a long way ahead of us so I hope you stay with me.

Also, thank you for your kind words!


	11. Chapter 11

"You called?"

Alex stood at her doorway, confused and unable to form words.

"You…maybe want to let me in?" Taja asked. She had the same easy smile earlier, only now Alex could feel the intensity of her gaze. _God, she can melt people with those eyes alone…_

Alex awkwardly shuffled aside while Taja glided in.

"So, you called me." Taja repeated as soon as she was inside. She was standing in the middle of Alex's barely lit apartment, looking around, and the shadows on her form were doing wonders to Alex. She swore she could almost see Shadow's silhouette.

"I didn't." Alex replied, confused.

"You have been calling me for the last few days, Alex Danvers." Taja said, pointing at Alex's ring.

"Is this real? Are you really Shadow?" Alex asked when she finally found her words. She ran out of it just as quickly when Taja's gaze returned to her. Her gaze was remarkably different from Shadow. Whereas Shadow's gaze was hungry, almost begging, Taja's was soul-piercing and calculating.

As if to really drive home her point, Alex watched as Taja gently took Alex's hand and tried to touch the metal ring around Alex's finger. Taja yelped and Alex could swear she heard the other woman curse.

Without really knowing why, without thinking about it at all, Alex grabbed Taja and hugged her tight.

"You goddamn idiot. I was worried for you!" Alex heard a faint gasp from the smaller woman before she returned the hug. "I called and I called, but you weren't responding, and I did not know what to think or how to even begin looking for you." Alex was not aware that she had began crying, but it was easing the pain in her heart, almost like a catharsis of the worries that plagued her over the week.

Taja gently pulled away. She reached out to brush away Alex's tears then stopped, uncertain. She took a step back and cleared her throat.

"Apologies. That was too forward…" Taja murmured, then in a clearer voice, she continued. "I should also apologize for making you worry. I had neglected to feed properly that day and I…well, I had to go back to my realm to temper my hunger."

"Are you okay now?" Alex asked.

Taja's smile was sheepish, almost embarrassed. "I am not yet at one hundred percent, far from it, actually. I need to stay in my human form as much as I can for the next few days, as I have better control like this. But I also promised you that I would be honest…"

Alex found herself leaning on her dining table for support after listening to Taja's re-telling of what happened after she ported out a week ago. She was still trying to reconcile the slender, graceful woman standing before her with what seemed like a rampaging, blood-starved monster that Taja described.

"I should thank you, actually." Taja said, after an awkward and pregnant pause, in which Alex's mind tried to find words to say. When she didn't say anything, Taja continued. "I heard your voice. Even when I was lost, your voice grounded me and kept me sane. The outcome would have been worse if you hadn't called with regularity and persistence…and I heard you, Alex Danvers. So, thank you."

Alex nodded. She felt like every time Taja or Shadow would visit her, a whole world would be unloaded on her and she wouldn't have a choice but to accept it as is. But she was also too tired to argue this point, too tired and too relieved at the same time. So she nodded and said nothing.

"Well… this has been fun." Taja said, after an awkward silent spell had fallen between them. "It's a beautiful night and the stars are out. Do you mind if I exit through your balcony?" Taja asked, snapping Alex out of her thoughts.

"You're not going to portal out?" Alex asked, finally finding some words.

Taja shook her head no. "I feel like a good run should help settle some of the nerves."

"Run? We are several stories up. How are you planning to run?"

Taja's smile suddenly went wide. "Well, think of it as superpowered parkour." And she walked towards the balcony.

"Goodnight, Alex Danvers." Taja said, bowing slightly before taking a step back and pivoting towards the edge of the balcony. Alex followed and watched as the little god leapt from one rooftop to the other and finally disappeared behind one of the taller buildings.

Alex looked up at the sky and for the first time noticed the faint twinkling of stars against a clear midnight sky.

It really was a beautiful night.

* * *

True to her word, over the next few weeks, whenever she came to visit Lena, Taja would always be in her demon form.

Lena tried to not let it get to her, but it was next to impossible. For one, she couldn't lock Taja out. She had that annoying portal that allowed her access to everywhere. But Lena also knew that she was safest with Taja.

The little demon, who was suddenly best friends with Supergirl, had foiled at least four more assassination attempts on Lena's life with the help of Supergirl. Not that she looked like she needed any help. If anything, based on the reports she would receive from the DEO, Taja (as Shadow) would always be the bait, and Supergirl would come in for the—well, she really wouldn't kill them.

For the first time in years, Lena could sleep well, knowing she had the best security detail around. It's price, though, was missing Kara round the clock.

Eventually, Taja recovered her control and which was even more annoying. She was now freely moving in and out of Lena's presence, but always in her demon form. There would be days when she would portal in Lena's office and just sit there, sipping her blood bag or chewing on one of Lena's pills like candy. It was a point of pride for Lena, at least, to know that her blood pills were as effective as the blood bags, although, as Taja explained, it was still not as fulfilling as the blood she craved the most.

It was during one of those days that Taja did something absurd...well, more absurd than usual.

She had been leisurely reclining on Lena's office couch, reading an ancient looking scroll and munching on Lena's blood pills, when she suddenly sat up as if she had sensed something. Lena watched, confused, as Taja turned to her human form and walked out of Lena's office without another word.

Suddenly, her office was vacant, and the vanilla and sunshine smell that had assaulted her for weeks was gone.

She was about to call Taja to ask what happened when she heard her office door open. When she looked up from her phone, she found Kara standing there, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

"They let me in downstairs. Taja told them you were expecting me. She also told me to tell you she was taking Jess out for lunch." Kara explained softly. She was still standing near Lena's office doors.

Lena sighed. She loved Taja, she really did. But then she would pull off stunts like this that made Lena want to punch her perfect face…if only that had the desired effect.

"Please come in, Ms. Danvers." Lena levelled her voice. She didn't want to crack. This was for Kara.

"Oh. Uhmm. Thank you, Ms. Luthor." Kara replied and Lena heard the disappointment and pain there.

"Are you here for an interview?"

"No. I just wanted to check in on you. Make sure you're okay." Kara answered, a little too quickly. Her ice blue eyes, normally so full of life, looked tired and lifeless. Lena could see shadows under Kara's eyes and now that she really was looking at Kara, Lena noticed the hollowness of her cheek.

Despite wearing her usual pastel colors and her tight ponytail, Kara looked frail. As if a single misplaced word could send her careening off to some deep darkness where Lena would never be able to reach her.

"I'm okay" Lena's answer was curt.

Lena sensed Kara's hesitation. "Is this because I kissed you? Because I'm sorry…I really am. I wish I could take it back…back to where I was just an idiot, madly in love with her best friend but too chicken to do anything about it. ", Kara said, her voice quaking as tears came down in torrents.

Lena closed her yes and furrowed her brows. It was all she could to stop herself from running to Kara and kissing away her tears and beg her for her forgiveness. Even after nearly dying, Kara was still blaming herself, which was exactly why Lena had to do what she was about to do.

She took a second to appraise Kara one last time, committing to memory what loving a Luthor does to someone so pure and gentle. She saw the pain in Kara's eyes, the almost lifeless sag of Kara's shoulder, the barely hidden tremor in Kara's hands. It was a stark contrast to her bright little ball of sunshine that would, once upon a time, barge into her office, unannounced and holding something she thought Lena would _absolutely love_ (when all that Lena absolutely loved was in fact the one bearing gifts).

Lena steadied herself and tried to remember Kara's lips on hers. Her eidetic memory would never let her forget it anyway. It was a good memory. It made her smile. It didn't do anything, though, to Lena's cold words…

"I'm flattered, Ms. Danvers. Unfortunately, I don't have enough room in my life for relationships. It is better for all of us if we remain as we are now." Lena said, forcing herself to look at the whimpering form of Kara. Lena thought she could actually hear Kara's heart breaking into a million pieces. But Lena had to be strong.

_For Kara…_

"And what is that?" Kara asked, stifling her sobs as best as she can.

"Strangers."

It was stone cold and final and made Lena wish she could just die right there. But Kara straightened her back and without a word, calmly walked out of Lena's office.

* * *

It was Alex who noticed it first.

A few days after Kara rushed to Alex's apartment and cried her eyes out without explaining what happened, Alex started noticing the subtle but gradual changes in Kara.

Her little sister was hyper focused in the worst possible way. Normally, Kara was a ball of unlimited energy. But Kara seemed muted and passive these days. Her articles were published but they were detached and clinical. She was still saving National City and whoever else needed her. But as soon as the job was done, she would fly off and disappear. Before, she would take the time to talk to people and say hi or ask if they were okay. These days, Kara would swoop in, do her heroic deed and then fly out.

Sometimes, she would go back to CatCo, or at the DEO…but most days, she would fly straight home where she would work on her articles and wait for the next call from the DEO.

They brought pot stickers and pizza to work, one day, to coax Kara into hanging out with Alex, Winn, James and J'onn. But she declined and claimed that she was going home. She had also declined attending game night…or basically anything that involved other people.

The only time Alex could see even a sliver of emotion on Kara's face was when Shadow was around.

Shadow had taken it upon herself to spar with Kara at least once a day. She was still kicking Kara's ass, but it didn't matter. Kara would get up and their sparring would start again and be over in less than a couple of seconds later. On days when National City was miraculously peaceful, Kara would get out of the training room bruised, bloodied, with at least two broken ribs, and absolutely exhilarated.

They even had adorable nicknames for each other, Alex thought. Kara had started referring to Shadow as 'Fangs' and Shadow called Kara 'Sunshine'.

One day, they were all startled when they heard several loud 'booms' inside the DEO.

Alex and J'onn ran to the source of the explosions, fearing the worse. Instead, they found Kara throwing punches at Shadow who caught them with her bare hands. The punches had power and speed behind them so that every time they were stopped by Shadow's hands, it would sound like a mini explosion. But it was only there that Kara's eyes lit up.

Objectively, J'onn and Alex noted that Kara was actually getting faster and stronger. She was also fighting smarter, her techniques more refined now than ever. Shadow's training was working…but Alex felt like she was losing Kara.

She decided to ask Kara's new BFF about this.

* * *

Coincidentally, Alex had now gotten into the habit of summoning Taja every night.

Sometimes they talked. Most of the time, they didn't. Taja had started to bring books on her reading list while waiting on Alex to do or say something. Alex, on the other hand, just liked Taja's presence. Even the silence was comfortable. It felt…right.

She had also discovered that Taja was a very good cuddler, but was not a fan of movies. So, Alex had started watching movies while using Taja as a human teddy bear…the giant ones that you buy so you could literally fall asleep in their arms. She would sit between Taja's thighs, curl up and rest her head on that sweet spot between Taja's collarbone while she watched old movies. Taja, would sometimes absent-mindedly play with Alex's hair while her other hand held the book she was reading. Just to try and annoy the smaller women, she tried taking both Taja's hands and wrap them around her.

It was then that Alex discovered two things: how wonderful it felt with Taja wrapped around her, and that Taja's wedding ring looked like it was welded into her ring finger.

Alex knew this made them look like an old married couple, which was technically true, going by Taja's story.

And it was in this exact position that Alex asked Taja about Kara.

"She is grieving." Taja replied when Alex summoned her that evening.

"Grieving? Is this still about Lena?" Alex asked, looking up from Taja's collarbones, annoyance plain on her face.

"By now, you, more than anyone should know…when it comes to your sister, it will always be about Lena Luthor." Taja replied, smiling.

Alex was quiet for a time before she spoke again.

"Are you saying Lena is Kara's soul mate?"

Taja chuckled but then quickly straightened her face as soon as Alex cocked her eyebrows. "I literally have no way of knowing that…but you have to admit, you have never seen anyone this devastated by a break-up."

"It's not a break-up if they were never together to begin with. Also, I hate your best friend." Alex muttered, aware that Taja could hear her.

"Which one? Supergirl or Lena Luthor?" Taja replied, smirking.

"Lena Luthor, of course." Alex rolled her eyes.

Taja hummed. "Don't be so quick to judge, Alex Danvers."

"Why are you even defending her when she's clearly the villain here?" Alex meant it to sound mean, but she just sounded petty and childish. Fortunately for her, Taja was an unending well of patience.

"Because, as you succinctly put it, she is my best friend. Besides, this is precisely why I asked your sister to be patient with Lena Luthor…" Taja said.

Alex sighed. "I just miss Kara, you know. I've been trying to call and text her, but unless it was work related, she would hang up on me almost immediately."

There was a brief silence before Alex spoke again.

"I know you said you didn't want to meddle, and all this human drama must be so exhausting for you, but do you think you could talk to Kara?"

Alex felt Taja's chuckle. "Kara is hardly human, which makes this even more complicated. But okay, I'll think of something."

"Thanks."

"On one condition."

Alex detached herself from Taja's embrace to look at the smaller woman's amethyst eyes. This was the first time in weeks that Taja would put a condition on a favor Alex asked and Alex had asked about a million favors.

"Okay?"

"My birthday is coming up and I need you, Kara Danvers, and Lena Luthor to be civil with each other and come have dinner with me."

* * *

In no uncertain words, Taja left each of them—Alex, Kara, and Lena—separate text messages, informing them that she was going back to her realm to deal with local matters and it shouldn't take more than 3 days. After which she demanded their presence on her suite at exactly 8pm for her birthday dinner.

There was no discussion of whether they had a choice. After all, two of them owed Taja their life, and one of them was bound to her for eternity, and Taja had not asked for anything in return.

It didn't take hours before all three of them realized how much they had depended on Taja over the past few weeks.

Suddenly, Lena's office was too quiet. She no longer had an excuse as to why she cannot be reached in her office. The grief and pain she held at bay was washing over her. There was no more reminder of that one person she desired the most, so that it felt like she really did not feel anything anymore…only the gaping sense of loss, as if Kara actually died. She was distracted and antsy. She felt like she was suffocating in her expansive, albeit empty, office.

Kara, on the other hand, had destroyed her training room within minutes of getting there. There was nothing there now that could outmatch her. Even Winn's training robots and drones, the danger turned to 11, gave her no challenges. They were too slow, had patterns that could be mapped out and anticipated. She ordered the red sun lamps and even with those, she wiped the floor with the more experienced DEO agents. Clearly, Taja had been training her too well. But now she was bored, in pain, and had nothing to distract her from the fact that she is dead to Lena. She was once again the most powerful being on that side of the Earth, and it was such a lonely existence.

No one felt the loss more than Alex, though, who, as was previously stated, had been spending almost all of her evenings with Taja. She had just started her workday and she was already getting anxious about spending her first evening alone. Her logical mind told her that she had spent many nights alone, so this shouldn't be any different. But it _was_ different. How was it different? Alex didn't really know. Alex couldn't even begin asking herself what she really felt for Taja. Did she love her as much as Taja professed to love her? Did she even love her a little bit? Was she even attrac—_okay let's not even finish that sentence. It's near impossible not to be attracted to Taja Cunningham, _Alex thought.

And this was the first day.

* * *

It was three days later, and Alex was just about to leave her apartment when she heard the telltale hiss of Taja's portal in her living room.

"Taja?"

Alex's breath hitched. Taja was wearing an all-black, form-hugging, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination, sleeveless blouse and pants ensemble, topped by an immaculately white coat, as she exited her portal.

"Good evening, Alex Danvers." Taja flashed her that easy smile and Alex was gone.

"I thought we were all meeting up at your place?" Alex asked, confused.

She saw Taja's smirk. "I thought about it and decided I didn't want to waste my birthday, and on such a beautiful evening, with those two miserable idiots."

Alex grinned. "Oh no. What did you do?"

Alex chuckled as she watched Taja twist her imaginary moustache like an old-timey villain. "Oh, nothing much. I just asked Scarlet to lockdown my suite as soon as they both get there."

"Well, Madam Villain, you are forgetting that my sister is Supergirl. I doubt your penthouse suite's walls can hold her in." Alex challenged but her face changed almost immediately when she saw the Taja's grin.

"Oh but my Lady Co-Conspirator, _you_ are forgetting, Scarlet is a demon too, and a powerful one at that."

And when Alex didn't say anything, Taja just shook her head and offered her hand.

"Listen. I know it's a bit late, but would you like to have dinner with me somewhere else?"

Alex smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Taja brought out her easy smile and Alex felt her stomach do a somersault. "Alex Danvers, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

* * *

"What are you saying, Scarlet?"

Kara almost flinched at the tone Lena used. In the two years they have been friends, she had only ever heard Lena use that menacing tone once, and she pitied the poor guy, who was a full foot taller than Lena and was built like dam, and who nearly crumpled to the floor at Lena's words.

But Scarlet…well she didn't really know Scarlet other than as Taja's bodyguard. And Scarlet looked unaffected. Deadpan, Scarlet repeated, "My master wishes to apologize for the inconvenience, but she and Master Danvers will not be able to attend this evening's dinner. She also wishes to inform Master Luthor and young Master Danvers that the penthouse suite is now on lockdown. Good evening."

Without saying another word, Scarlet quickly walked out of the suite, leaving Kara and Lena alone for the first time in weeks.

Kara watched as Lena paced around the suite. She heard Lena complain, to herself, about the phones and the Wi-Fi not working. She heard Lena test the balcony and bedroom doors and found them all locked.

Kara, meanwhile, X-rayed the entire suite and found nothing suspicious, except it also had the faint smell of Lena's perfume all around the place…which really only meant one thing. She was about to say something when she suddenly remembered the favor Taja asked…_to be patient._

_Fine then, patience it is._

Kara walked to the kitchen and found that Taja had at least prepared and left food for them. With her hearing, she checked on Lena who was still pacing, trying to find a way out of the suite so Kara decided to fix the dinner table and set down two plates.

"Lena…", she called, once she was done setting the table.

Kara felt her heart drop when Lena looked at her with unfamiliar eyes. She cleared her throat and continued. "If you're going to be pacing all night, might as well have dinner first. Taja left us with some Chinese, salads, steaks and your favorite wine."

"I'm good, thanks." Lena replied dismissively.

"No, you are not good, thanks. I can hear your stomach rumbling all the way here." Kara replied. It wasn't a lie. Humans wouldn't have heard the slight grumble Lena's stomach did, but Kara did.

When Lena chose to ignore her, Kara proceeded to sit down and eat in silence. She kept her ears trained at Lena who looked like she was having a silent internal debate. Kara was midway through her second porterhouse when Lena decided to join in.

"Glad you came to your senses. I left you all of the kale." Kara said, her smile muted. She didn't want to seem too eager. And if she was going to be honest, she really did not know how to act around Lena anymore.

She wanted her old friend back: the one who was cold and aloof to everyone but her; the one who would be serious one moment, and then easygoing when they're together; the one who challenged her simplistic and, quite often, naïve view of the world—but always for the better.

But the Lena sitting beside her was hard and cold, as if Kara was nothing more than another business meeting she couldn't wait to get out of. She reminded her a little bit of Lillian Luthor, except Lillian could at least pretend to be warm. This Luthor sitting next to her had none of the pretense and all the coldness. And it hurt Kara, more than those kryptonite bullets ever did. But she remembered Taja's words: _Patience._

"I'm about to make small talk, so…just chime in if you want. Or don't. That's also fine." Kara said, struggling to actually think about something to talk about.

When Lena did not respond, when Lena did not so much as glance her way, Kara continued.

"So…so, Taja went to our apartment a few weeks back. It was the first time I met Scarlet. She's really tall, isn't she? Anyways, she brought four boxes of pizza and a heaping of pot stickers because she said you told her those were my favorite. And she really looked like she didn't know what to do…she's never really hung out with other people?" Kara was pretty proud she didn't manage to stammer half her words, and it seemed like Taja was a good place to start a conversation with.

But Kara had willed herself to do a mini monologue all through dinner. What she wasn't prepared for was Lena…

"As far as I know, Taja had a more restrictive childhood than I ever did. So no, she was not in her element and was most likely overcompensating." Lena's voice was still dead and cold, but it was a start. Kara decided to test the waters some more.

"Right. Did she tell you she's been hanging out with Alex?" _Careful…patient._

"She mentioned."

"So, you think Alex is her 'The One'?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but I suppose she is."

"You suppose?"

Kara heard Lena sigh. She hoped it wasn't a frustrated sigh, she honestly couldn't tell.

"When she talks about Alex, you would think Alex was the center of the universe…her universe. She would go on for hours even though she knew I wasn't listening…how much do you know about Taja?" Lena replied.

Kara hesitated. She was not sure how she would explain how she had been hanging out with Shadow and not say something about Supergirl. But when she answered, her voice was wistful and soft.

"I don't think Taja likes keeping secrets. I envy her that way."

Lena did not respond for a while and when she finally spoke again, Kara definitely heard the frustration in her voice…or was it irritation?

"What are you trying to do, Kara?"

"Wh—what? Me? I'm just… I'm trying to have a civil conversation with a… with a _stranger_."

_So much for patience…_

Lena stood up and was about to walk away when Kara, her patience finally worn thin over weeks of trying to understand Lena, trying to give her space, trying to _be patient_, slammed her hands down on the dinner table, smashing it to pieces. The silverware she had been holding were twisted and bent when she let them drop. But she was still sitting, seething in anger that had nowhere else to go but out.

"Kara!"

But Kara couldn't hear Lena over the sound of her own heartbeat. "…a _stranger_ who once promised to be there with me at the fallout, when I was so terrified of losing her as a friend because I was too selfish and wanted more…"

Kara was only vaguely aware of the steadily rising heat that she was emanating. The sound of her heart beating was too fast, too loud.

"Kara—"

"a _stranger_ I was too weak to protect, and for whom I am killing myself just so I can be stronger, faster, better…so I will not fail her again."

Something—maybe a lot of things—were rumbling around her. She could hear glasses cracking and breaking in the distance, feel the slight tremor beneath her feet.

"Kara, please…"

Kara stood up and just as she did, the dining chair she was sitting on cracked and fell to pieces. Her heart was strong and steady and loud.

"…because this _stranger_, despite ignoring me, dismissing me, and acting as if I was dead…"

Then Kara realized, it wasn't her heart she was hearing. No. Since the day she saw her, Kara's ears had attuned to her heartbeat, listened to it as if every fiber of Kara's being was lodged on that one heartbeat.

The one with the seafoam green eyes and the smile that could eclipse a thousand suns. And suddenly the world was quiet, the rumblings and the tremors stopped, the air cooled, and the glasses stopped breaking.

_ "…_this _stranger _is the center of _my_ universe_, as she has always been, as she will always be._"

* * *

A/N:

I swear to the little god there's more supercorp next chapter….just needed to get a lot of Taja stuff out of the way.

Thank you all for your lovely comments and the next chapter should be up this weekend.


	12. Chapter 12

Lena was not sure what to do.

She wasn't even sure what happened.

She had agreed to come to Taja's dinner party because of course she would. Taja was her friend…_her only remaining friend._

When she saw Kara, punctual as always, she felt her heart skip a beat. Kara was wearing a sleeveless, form-fitting, cream colored dress and matching shoes. Her hair was tied in an elegant bun and the glasses were gone, leaving Lena with no choice but to stare at her unfiltered sapphire eyes.

Lena noted that Kara had changed drastically since she left Lena's office weeks ago. There were still shadows under her eyes, but her cheeks no longer looked hollow. Lena had always admired Kara's toned arms, but now they were even more defined. She could practically see them rippling with the slightest movement…and there was something else. Like a current, or a silent hum of dormant power that Lena just couldn't put her finger on.

This was not good for Lena's self-control. Her first instinct, upon seeing her goddess, was to come running to her and begging her to take her back. She wanted to take every little moment that she had hurt Kara, every word, every second that she had ignored her and made her feel less than loved…she wanted to take all of it back and tell Kara…

But she didn't.

Because no matter how safe Lena felt now, no matter how suddenly beefed up her security was, Kara will always be a weak spot that people will exploit. And it was not fair for Kara to suffer just because she was _friends_ with a Luthor.

So when Scarlet informed them that they would be locked in the suite together, alone, Lena started to panic. Lena was a chess prodigy. She had planned her moves for the dinner, well in advance. But she had not taken into consideration that her little demon _friend_ was always a dark horse. All her best laid plans fizzled out and she cursed Taja.

_…something about telling god your plans and making him or her laugh…_

She tried her mobile phone. She tried the Wi-Fi. The landline was dead, and all the doors were unyielding. She even tried to smash one of the windows but the heavy vase she tried to use just bounced back and fell to the floor with a muted thud.

When Lena agreed to join Kara for dinner, she had already regained much of her composure and was sure she could still salvage her original plan and survive the night.

As anticipated, Kara would make small talk. She could never help herself, too nice, too selfless. Even at the point of pain, Kara would always consider Lena first.

Lena, summoning all the restraint that the Luthor household taught her, decided to chime in, albeit reticently. They talked about Alex—a subject Lena was quite tired of as Taja never seemed to have anything better to talk about than her, never seemed to care that Lena was only listening because she was hoping she would hear something—anything—about Kara. Taja never talked about Kara…not even in passing.

But this got Lena curious.

She knew Alex knew about Shadow and Taja…but did Kara know? It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination. The Danvers sisters were very close.

But she decided to ask anyway.

When Kara replied with a non-answer, it set off alarm bells in Lena's head. Kara had never been evasive or sneaky…in fact she was quite sure Kara could not be sneaky even if she wanted to. Even when she came to Lena's office, in pain and unsure of what to do, the first thing that came out of her mouth was the truth.

So, Lena decided to push her…but now she was not sure if she had done the right thing.

Because she had seen Kara mad, once. Kara was flustered and red and stammered more than usual, which, if Lena was going to be completely honest, was even cuter than normal stammering Kara. It was the full-on blush on her cheeks that just drove Lena insane.

But this—whatever was happening—wasn't cute and angry Kara.

Kara looked like a goddess in pain… trying desperately to remove the very thing that was hurting her.

She had shattered the table and everything around her was reverberating. But Lena could only see Kara. She tried calling out to Kara, her heart smashing hard inside its prison. Lena wasn't afraid. She knew Kara would never hurt her. She just needed Kara to hear her. She needed Kara to understand.

_"…a stranger who once promised to be there with me at the fallout, when I was so terrified of losing her as a friend because I was too selfish and wanted more…"_

It couldn't be selfish if Lena wanted the exact same thing. Lena was the selfish one. She was the one who was so afraid of losing the one person in all the world that could light up her bleak existence, the one person who judged her on her merits and never on her last name, the one person who had complete and absolute faith in her…even when Lena herself didn't.

_"a stranger I was too weak to protect, and for whom I am killing myself just so I can be stronger, faster, better…so I will not fail her again."_

It couldn't be weakness if Kara was willing to lay her life on the line. No matter how hard Lena tried to convince herself that what Kara did was a sign of weakness, a primal part of her understood that this just wasn't true. And Kara had not failed her. Lena was alive, having this—argument?—with Kara right now. How had she failed?

_"…because this stranger, despite ignoring me, dismissing me, and acting as if I was dead…"_

…and it hurt. Dear god, did it hurt Lena, every day. Every breath hurt. Every moment she was tortured by the knowledge that she was trying her very best to keep the most precious thing in _her_ universe safe…and the only way to do it was to keep her away from Lena. Because loving a Luthor…no, loving Lena was a disaster of epic proportions waiting to happen. And she could not—would not—risk hurting Kara that way. She would rather be in this much pain and know that at least Kara was alive.

But Lena couldn't help it anymore. She couldn't deny the one thing that her heart desired the most.

And the one thing that her heart desired the most…. was in so much pain.

And in her eyes, Lena saw the same chaos that Kara went through just before they kissed. The events of that night suddenly clicked into place, like a memory Lena had long buried had just clawed its way back from the depths and was hitting her straight in the gut.

Kara's chaos.

Kara's lips.

Kara frozen mere seconds before kryptonite-laced bullets started to rain, as if she had anticipated it.

Kara dying of Kryptonite poisoning the way no human should.

Kara somehow alive despite all of it.

Lena's mind absorbed all of this, expecting nothing but chaos… but her heart was oddly at peace. She had known all along. And she smiled.

For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, Lena smiled a smile that reached her heart, that melted the frozen tundra she had built within herself.

_"…this stranger is the center of my universe, as she has always been, as she will always be."_

Lena was not sure what to do.

But Lena was sure what she wanted to do.

* * *

For someone so rich, it surprised Alex that Taja's idea of a date was not the glittery, shiny, exclusive restaurant with a view of National City's skyline. Not that she was expecting something so grand, it just seems like the sort of thing rich people did. Instead, shifting into Shadow, Taja carried Alex like a bride to a clearing a few miles outside of National City. Alex held on to Shadow's neck and she swore she could smell lilies…and something else. It kept her calm. She snuggled her head closer in that delicious spot just below Shadow's ears and inhaled deeply. There was no way she could get tired of that smell…

There was nothing special about the forest clearing, save that it was pitch dark and that Taja had prepared a simple candlelit dinner.

Over dinner, Taja told her a little bit about Alex's previous lives and how they were all different versions of Alex, but are somehow the same person she had met and fallen in love with.

"I'm honestly just glad you weren't here for the civil war. You would have joined for sure and I would have bent over backwards just trying to save you." Taja mused. She was smiling, but Alex knew she was serious. It would be something Taja would likely do.

"You could have locked me up." Alex offered.

"And denied you your desire? No." Taja replied indignantly.

"What was the longest you had to wait for me?" Alex asked.

"About nine hundred years. The shortest was fifty. It's always random. I've tried to narrow down the numbers so I could get an average, but it seems so random."

"How?" Alex couldn't wrap her head around what she was hearing. NINE HUNDRED YEARS.

"How what?"

"How do you manage to wait for me for nine hundred years? I mean, you have to be dating someone else in the interim, right?"

"No." Taja replied, almost shockingly offended at Alex's assumption. "Why would I seek the intimacy or company of someone else? I do other things, sure. I haven't always been this powerful, you know? So while waiting for you, I train, I do research, win the Tournament—this is a requirement, of course—and pick up some more skills along the way."

Alex snorted. "So you mean to tell me you nerd out while I'm dead?"

"Please," Taja replied with a smirk. "I nerd out even when you're alive. I'm nerding out right now."

"I can't believe I'm forever married to a dork." Alex mock rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help her smile.

But she was so much more than a nerd, Alex reasoned. Even with the heavy flirting, Alex noted that Taja was still the perfect lady. She would always ask Alex's permission to even so much as touch her hand. She always walked a respectable distance behind Alex (exactly two steps), unless Alex asked her to hold her hand while they walked. After she nearly got Alex fired for slamming J'onn J'onnz to the floor, Alex noticed that Shadow had kept her chill to the maximum. It didn't escape her that Shadow would also stare dangerously at anyone who so much as looked at Alex wrong, but she would keep her distance and say nothing.

"Do we always end up together?"

It was a hard question, but something Alex knew she had to ask.

"No." Taja replied. Alex saw her smile change into something that looked like she struggled with. "Sometimes, when I find you, you're already married with children, or happy with someone else…and I love you too much to ruin your happiness, Alex Danvers."

"So you just let me be?"

"In a manner of speaking. I stay close—a shadow, if you must. Or in some instances, a benefactor. I would have any and all excuse to stay beside you without disrespecting your wishes."

"You're saying that I sometimes reject you?"

"Yes. Or you get tired of me and move on. It has happened." Taja's voice had changed to something hollow. "You made me promise never to follow you for the rest of your life. You took off the ring and threw it at me."

"And you did just that…didn't you?"

"Not necessarily. You only said _I_ couldn't follow you. You said nothing about Scarlet. I had her watch over you but never to meddle in your affairs. You found a handsome man afterwards, a spoiled son of a rich merchant, and you were happy for a time. Eventually, he became violent and possessive, given to drunkenness and debauchery. He murdered his father for his inheritance and his lands, and he squandered those away. He dishonored your marital bed with other women. He sent you and your children out to work in the fields while he stayed inebriated at home. He struck you and your children regularly. He raped you and allowed other men to defile you, repeatedly. But I promised…so I stayed away."

Alex noticed that the lights had gone out of Taja's amethyst eyes. Red was bleeding into purple and her fists were trembling. But she continued with the same hollow voice.

"Eventually, you died. He sold off your children to slavers or gave them away to be married to lesser men. The ones sold to slavers were the luckier ones. The farm you had worked on, he gave away for a bottle of rum. I bought the farm back and determined to gather your children and their children too. It took a while, but eventually I did and tried to provide for them as best I could while still staying away. All the men that dishonored and defiled you became eunuchs, but not before they suffered immensely. Death would not allow them to escape so soon, I made sure of that."

"And at the very end of his life, I collected your husband's miserable self. He lives to this day."

"Wh—what do you mean?" Alex whispered, almost afraid to know the answer.

"In the forests just outside my home, there is a peculiar kind of tree that grows no leaves nor fruits. It can survive without sunlight or water. Nobody would dare go near such trees because its sap is said to produce such horrific nightmares that even if you do flush out the poison in your system, your mind would still be broken. But my sister found out how to cultivate it, and she kept meticulous notes."

"The moment you died, the very instant my soul was once again ripped painfully into two, I paid him a visit and planted the seed of one such tree in him. It didn't take long for the seed to grow. And when he was at the end of his life, I buried him alive together with the seed in my forest. To this day, you can still hear him screaming, cursed forever to relive the same horror, over and over again. Immortality was an unfortunate side-effect. The tree needs to feed, after all. And until it finds another to feed on, it will keep that vile man alive."

Stories like this reminded Alex that Taja was still a very dangerous double-edged sword. She could be generous, loyal, honest to a fault, gentle and loving, but she could also be cruel, vicious, and violent.

"Jesus, Taja…that's just—"

"Cruel, I know. But he deserves nothing less. Scarlet came back to me every night with some new and horrific news about you or your children. You were skin and bones when I gathered your lifeless body. I could barely recognize you. What disease ravaged you was not taken care of and you were left to suffer and still expected to work, Alex Danvers. I had to stay and honor your wishes, no matter how painful that was. But he was not part of it." Taja's eyes were full-on red.

They were both quiet for a time. Alex's mind was still trying to piece together Taja's puzzle. How could someone so dedicated and loving be so cruel at the same time?

"I'm sorry I ruined dinner… I—I never really have anyone to talk to about these things. And they accumulate for centuries. Well, there's Scarlet, but she… I'm sorry…" Taja said gently. Her eyes were back to their usual amethyst, but the candlelight made them look darker. It was one of those rare moments that Alex could see exactly how vulnerable Taja was.

"No. Hey! I asked. Don't let it ruin your birthday dinner." Alex reached out to touch Taja, hoping it would reassure her. Taja smiled in return and continued with picking on her food.

When they were finished with dinner, Taja was back to her super formal but cheerful self. Once Alex said she could not eat more, Taja held out her hand and waited for Alex to take it. She led Alex to what felt like an expensive carpet, laid down on the floor of the clearing. It was quite dark and the only things that were sparkling were the candles from the small dining table, and Taja's amethyst eyes.

"Close your eyes and don't open until I tell you." Taja whispered.

Alex wanted to protest and say that closing her eyes weren't going to do much because she could literally see nothing since it was so dark. But she closed her eyes just the same and trusted that Taja knew what she was doing.

Alex felt Taja carry her to the carpet and set her down gently. She asked her to lay on her back before opening her eyes.

"It's okay. I promise you, you're safe." Taja murmured gently when she sensed Alex's trepidation.

Alex opened her eyes and she gasped. About a billion stars sparkled before her eyes, their lights twinkling and dancing a tuneless sort of dance in the clear night sky.

"Wow…this is breathtaking." Alex breathed out.

"Yes. Isn't she just?"

Alex turned her head to see Taja lying beside her, oblivious to the stars. Her amethyst eyes staring, seemingly lost in Alex's dark browns, a stark contrast to the quiet, murderous rage that radiated from Taja earlier. It was at that moment that Alex understood Taja's simple truth. She was loving and cruel, gentle and violent, patient and ruthless. There was no duality, no contrast. It was just…Taja.

And this little god was offering all of this, over and over again, to Alex, with no pretense. Just her truth…and her heart.

Alex, turned to her side and touched Taja's cheeks. With the slightest pull, she led Taja towards her and their lips met.

* * *

Lena wasn't sure if Kara was even aware that she was floating. She had been floating since she stood up and wrecked the dining chair. For a moment, they stared at each other, Lena finally seeing Kara Danvers for the first time.

"Kara, you kind of need to come down..."

She saw Kara blink once, twice, as if not understanding Lena… and then Kara looked down. Lena saw full-blown panic in Kara's eyes before she landed without a sound.

"I'm sorry—I can explain, Lena—" Kara started to say.

"Kara, please let me—"

"I've wanted to tell you, for so long. But I couldn't. It wasn't because I didn't trust you and it's not because you're a Luthor. But I have enemies and they were not beyond harming the people I love so I thought—"

"Oh come on, please would you just—"

"—if I kept my identity a secret, if I kept you at a distance, just as Kara Danver's friend, it would keep you safe. Eventually I came to realize that I like Kara Danvers when she's with you and I thought, if only I could keep just being Kara Danvers—"

"Kara Danvers, I swear to god would—"

"—then maybe you will always be safe. But I couldn't keep being friends with you. How could I? You are the smartest, kindest, most generous, most loving, person I know. It also doesn't help that you are ridiculously beautiful. Like honestly, it's unfair how beautiful you are. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I was falling deeper and deeper in love with you everyday—"

"Jesus Christ. You really can go on—"

"—and I didn't know how to tell you anymore because I don't want you to like me as Supergirl. I wanted you to like me as Kara Danvers which I realize now is insane because I am both Kara Danvers and Supergirl and I'm sorry I lied, and I'm sorry I kissed you and I'm sorry I broke your trust and I understand if—"

Lena Luthor was a lot of things that Kara Danvers could list. One of the things that was glaringly missing in Kara's list: Patient.

And being impatient, she did the only sure thing that would shut her best friend up.

Lena closed their gap and pulled the center of her universe down, setting them both on fire with a searing kiss. It wasn't too long before Kara responded and pulled Lena impossibly tighter, as if wanting to mold her soul into Lena. It would have hurt if only Kara wasn't so gentle at the same time. Their tongues danced, their hands mapping each other's bodies, roaming everywhere they could. Eventually, after what seemed like forever and a day, Lena had to push back. She rested her forehead on Kara's lips.

"Hi. Lena Luthor. Human. Needs oxygen." Lena said gently, gasping, chasing her next breath.

"Hi. Kara Zor-El. Kryptonian. Part-time superhero." Kara answered, punctuating each word with a gentles kiss on Lena's forehead.

"I'm in love with a Super…" Lena said, looking up at Kara, her breath coming out slowly now.

"I'm in love with a Luthor…" Kara responded.

Their lips met once more, this time gentler, more patient, but still just as hungry and needy as before.

* * *

Kara felt Lena's hands slide down her back and it was only when she felt her dress loosen that Kara understood what happened. Kara pulled away, shrugged it off and stepped out of the dress. A second later, she was pulling Lena's blazer and blouse up and off her and they were back once again to tasting each other, hands roaming. Kara felt Lena set fire to her face as she trailed small kisses along Kara's jaw and towards her ear. Something incessant was burning somewhere just below her navel when Lena gently nibbled on Kara's earlobes and whispered in what could quite possibly be the sexiest voice Kara had ever heard,

"Bedroom, now."

Kara pulled back and allowed a half-naked Lena to pull her. At the back of her mind, Kara was sure the bedroom doors were closed. But as soon as they reached it, it unlocked. As soon as the double doors of the main bedroom closed, Lena pushed Kara against it and went back to devouring her lips and her tongue, leaving a trail of featherlight but searing kisses all over her shoulder, her collarbones, her jaw, before going back to Kara's lips. Kara had completely surrendered to whatever power Lena had over her, and Lena was more than capable of wielding that power properly.

Kara almost whimpered when Lena stepped back, but something had changed. There was fire behind Lena's eyes and a hunger that Kara had never seen, and it was driving Kara insane with need. It mesmerized her. If she thought it was Lena's smile that would ruin her, she had never been more wrong…this Lena that had taken her hand, that had let her sit at the edge of the bed, that was now standing in front of her with fire and hunger in her eyes…this was the Lena that was going to ruin her…and it would be just fine for Kara.

Needing any reason to touch, Kara reached out and undid the clasp in Lena's slacks, pulled it down and admired the pale skin set against the darkness of the room. She started kissing Lena's stomach and trailed her way up before Lena pushed her down on the bed and straddled her, showering her with those sinfully delicious, featherlight kisses…kisses that now trailed down.

"Lena…I.."

Lena hummed in response as she continued her painfully slow trail down, making sure to kiss every inch of skin available to her. Kara's whimpers and moans seemingly adding fuel to whatever fire was set inside Lena.

"Lena…wait…"

Lena stopped and looked at Kara, the fire bright in her eyes. "What's wrong? Do you want me to stop?"

"No…Hell no… just…uhmm.. Lena…"

At Kara's first 'No', Lena wordlessly went back to her trail until Kara pulled her back up. She knew she cheated when she used a bit more strength than what she would normally use but she needed Lena to listen.

"Wait. Please."

Kara pushed herself up, allowing Lena to straddle her again so they were now face to face. She forced herself to look at Lena who was searching Kara's face.

"I…don't know what to do." Kara wanted to bury her face somewhere else. She didn't want to lie to Lena but it was still somehow embarrassing.

Lena laughed. It was the most beautiful sound Kara had ever heard and also the most confusing. Sensing Kara's apprehension, Lena cleared her throat and kissed Kara slowly and deeply before muttering, "Don't worry, darling. I'll take care of you tonight."

There were no more words for the rest of the night, save for two names, uttered over and over again in varying stages of need and hunger and lust, for what seemed like hours.

* * *

Lena woke up to her alarm sounding off somewhere in the distance. She tried to get up but found herself trapped under the surprisingly comfortable weight of Kara's body on top of her, nuzzled just below her chin. Memories of the night before came flooding back and she felt herself flush. She was aching all over and was pretty sure she had bruises somewhere, everywhere…but it was all worth it.

Kara was strong, insatiable, and a quick study.

_I guess that bottomless appetite extended beyond food._

Truth be told, Lena did not want to get up. She was quite content to bask in Kara's warm, and very naked, presence, but eventually, Kara began to stir too.

"hnnnngghh…morning," Kara mumbled, stretching. When she raised her head to greet Lena, she had on the most amazing, almost goofy smile. Lena couldn't help but place a light kiss on Kara's lips.

"Good morning, darling. How are you feeling?" Lena asked, brushing a strand of Kara's hair away from her face. She stared at Kara's sapphire eyes and marveled at just how bright they were now, when they were dark and hungry last night.

Kara hummed and smiled at Lena. "Very good. I haven't slept this well since…forever."

"Well, I'm glad someone slept well on _my_ bed last night."

Kara and Lena turned sharply at the source of the voice, standing just at the entrance of the bedroom.

Lena wanted to die there and then.

"Taja, let me explain," Lena started while Kara was gathering the sheets around her.

Taja shook her head and laughed. "No need to explain, Lena Luthor." Taja cocked a perfect eyebrow and continued. "I do have to inform you that it is 7:00 AM and I have taken the liberty of having your clothes sent to the laundry and fresh ones brought in so you don't have to go to work wearing the same clothes you wore last night. Now go freshen yourselves up and join me for breakfast. Scarlet made waffles."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry, I really cannot write sex scenes properly. It feels…weird for me. This is as comfortable as I can write for now. But I hope you enjoyed it at least. Next update should be by middle of next week. I'm sorry **

**Thanks for reading and let me know what you think. **

**(Fun fact: the tree Taja describes is loosely based on a tree from an anime called Yuyu Hakusho. Internet brownie points to those who can tell me the name of the tree ^^, )**


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Hi! Sorry for the late update, but this and the next chapter are transition chapters. We are finally getting to the plot of it all, but nowhere near done. The following chapters are going to be about as long as this one, if not longer still.**_

_**Again, I'm extremely grateful to your kind words. Makes my gay heart gayer.**_

_**Find me on twitter! TheLazyBam**_

* * *

Winn wasn't quite sure how it happened.

They were currently sitting around Kara's dining table. Him, Alex, Hank, Kara, Lena, and Lena's friend Taja…who was apparently dating Alex.

Alex had always been somewhat of a mystery to Winn. Not that he had excellent social skills to be considered an expert on human interaction, but Alex was someone Winn just couldn't figure out. She could be hard and unflinching one second, and then just the nicest person on the planet on the next. She was overprotective of Kara but would spoil her just as often. At the DEO, everyone looked up to her as a sort of alpha-type character: dependable, headstrong, fierce, and willing to lay down her life for just any one of her agents. But here, at the comfort of Kara's home and especially seated beside Taja, Alex was soft, shy, and relaxed.

"Anybody mind telling me how this—" Winn gestured to Alex and Taja, "—happened?" Winn said, oblivious to what everybody else was discussing before he spoke up. One look at Hank and Winn was sure at least one more person was wondering the same thing.

All at once, the table fell silent until Taja answered, carefully, a second later. "Well, Alex Danvers is smart, loving, fierce and loyal. It doesn't hurt that she is exquisitely beautiful too. It is by no stretch of the imagination that I could be attracted to her. I asked her to go on a date with me and she agreed. Does that answer your question, Winn Schott Jr.?"

It did not, of course. But Alex was already throwing an odd mix of withering stare and furious blush at Winn and he knew he would be in a world of trouble later if he continued so he turned to Kara and Lena and raised an eyebrow. "And you two? You went from not speaking for weeks to not being able to leave each other's orbits for a second."

Kara almost choked on her wine and Lena was suddenly preoccupied with her salad.

It was true, though.

Over the last few days, either Kara was working over at L-Corp or Lena was at the DEO or CatCo. Ever since she signed those NDA's and had been given a security clearance to hang around at the DEO, Lena had just been _around_. If Lena had a board meeting, or some other important business meeting she could not get away from, Kara would find something to do as Supergirl or just hang around near where Lena would be.

The only time they weren't together were for '_Fangs' and Sunshine's Daily Torture Time'_, a name most DEO agents have taken to calling Shadow and Supergirl's training regime. It had gone from bad to worse, with Supergirl getting beat up every day, no matter how much faster, stronger or smarter Kara had become. But just as soon as this was over, and no matter how badly beat up Kara was, she would fly to Lena's side. In one particularly nasty instance where Kara was so beat up, she had to beg Shadow to carry her over to L-Corp.

And the worst part was how oblivious Lena and Kara were at just how bad they were throwing real-life heart-eyes emojis at each other.

There had been several times when Winn or Hank had to call Kara's attention multiple times not because she couldn't hear them, but because she was preoccupied with staring at Lena, or texting Lena, or talking to Lena on the phone. Winn had even seen Alex throw a pencil at Kara for not paying attention, _and it hit Kara!_ Something as slow as a twirling pencil in midair should be nothing for Kara to catch—for fuck's sakes, the girl can catch multiple bullets fired at her—but she missed a slow pencil.

Meanwhile, Lena was just as bad, but was sort of better at hiding it.

Winn had asked for her help regarding a new tech he was researching and while Lena was extremely helpful, she was on her phone all the time. Winn already knew Lena was a genius and while all her contributions to Winn's research were infallible, would it hurt for her to pretend to actually be more interested in it than whatever Kara was texting her?

"We sorted things out, talked things through and we are in a good place now." Kara answered, and Winn saw the way the two looked at each other, as if the world had disappeared for one second and it was just the two of them again.

"Uhmm, which actually brings me to part of the reason why I invited everyone here." Kara continued.

She stood up and took a deep breath.

"I want to apologize to everyone for how I have acted over the last few weeks. I was not in a good place but that does not excuse my behavior. But I am also thankful that you gave me space to figure things out on my own and did not give up on me. So here's to friends and family." She raised her glass and everyone followed suit.

When she sat back down, everyone had come back to their topic of choice: the newcomers Taja and Lena.

"How was Lena like as a roommate?" Hank asked Taja. Winn wondered at the way Lena looked at Taja. It was as if she was not even expecting the other girl to embarrass her.

"Perfect. She was neat and kept to herself most of the time. She never brought anybody back to our room and had the decency to never invite me in whatever sullen, pretentious party she was invited to. She also had a kickass chess set, which is how we became friends." Taja answered.

Lena chuckled lightly. "If I recall correctly, our score still stands at an even 120 each. But that's also not how we became friends." Lena took a sip of wine before continuing, this time addressing the rest of the table. "I mentioned her name to my mother and sure enough, she and Lex launched a full investigation, any dirt they can pick up on this Taja Cunningham. Well, what they found, they liked. I mean, how could they not? Insanely rich, single, and not too bad looking…also notoriously gay."

"Hold up. You're telling me you can stand toe to toe with THE Lena Luthor in chess?" Winn interjected, genuinely shocked. The youngest Luthor had many accolades. Being a chess prodigy was one of them.

"Well, to be fair, Lena Luthor won first. I just adjust accordingly. She would always find a new way to beat me after I've adjusted. So you can say, she has always been playing against herself." Taja replied.

"And that's not really the important part here, Winn." Alex was the one interjecting now, her eyebrow slightly raised as she turned to Taja. "Notoriously gay? What happened to '_Why would I seek the intimacy or company of someone else?'_"

"Oh damn. Okay, let me explain." Lena spoke up, panicked. "I think I've told Kara this, but Taja…has a way of flirting with people that leaves them like putty in her hands. We have gotten out of speeding tickets, extra shots at the bar, and pretty much whatever harmless favors we can get because Taja can smile and everyone just melts. But that's about as far as she has ever gone."

"And how would you be sure of this?" Alex asked, pointedly.

"Because, as you might have noticed, she is an even bigger nerd than I am. She comes home on time, all the time, and would be in bed with a book, and asleep by 11. She can flirt all she wants but she would leave with me and ignore me as soon as she is in the comfort of her book and bed, as if whatever girl was practically melting in her hand just earlier didn't even exist. Also, I've seen her throw away papers with girls' numbers. To annoy me, she would pretend she had slept with these people, but I'm quite sure she never has. As sure as I am that she did not, in fact, sleep with my secretary." There was a warning tone in Lena that Taja smiled at.

"I did not. It's just always fun annoying you." Taja replied, sincerely.

"And anyway, we've gotten sidetracked." Lena sighed. But Winn wasn't about to let this go.

"So she has never made a pass on you?"

It was Taja who answered with a snort. "Shame on you, Winn Schott Jr. The very idea…" Winn saw Taja shake her head before continuing. "Lena Luthor is my friend, and if we are going to be honest, I love her as much as Alex Danvers loves Kara Danvers. So, the thought of even subjecting her to that kind of treatment—it's disgusting."

Winn saw Lena's grin. "As I was saying, before we all focused on Taja being a notoriously massively gay flirt—My lovely mother and brother decided that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if we were married. I confessed to Taja about my mother and brother's investigation and plans and I thought she was going to hate me. But she was surprisingly cool about it. And we've been friends ever since."

"Dear lord, that dinner with your mother was uncomfortable though." Taja said, and Winn could see the discomfort in her.

Lena groaned. "Yes, that. The single most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me." And since everyone was looking at Lena expectantly, Winn saw Lena finish the rest of her wine and pour another serving before she started to speak. "Could you take this one, Taj? I can't…"

Taja sighed. "Lilian Luthor invited me for the summer at one of their many summer getaways. I declined. So, instead, she invited me for dinner. Of course, Lena Luthor and Lex Luthor were there too. She started to describe Lena Luthor to me, as if I had not been staying under the same roof and sleeping in the same room as her daughter for so many months now. She started hinting at how she was not opposed to same sex couples and that she was, and I quote, _'an ally and a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ people'_. I told her that I was indeed a member of such a community but that I am also promised to another woman who holds my heart completely…" At those last words, she looked at Alex and Winn thought he had never seen anyone else look at someone with more love and affection at that moment.

"I remember you said the sweetest thing though." Lena said, before turning to Kara. "Taja said, '_One day, your daughter will meet the person who will hold _her_ heart completely, and in whose arms she will find bliss. And no amount of wealth or power or stature could ever make up for that. One day, she will find her home.' _And, Taja—" Lena turned her gaze at Taja for a moment, an uncharacteristic warm smile gracing her lips, before she went back to staring at Kara, intertwining their fingers and seemingly lost in the moment, "—I think I found my home."

Lena leaned in for a chaste kiss where everyone said "Aww" and Alex groaned.

And as if to clear the air, it was Hank who finally spoke.

"Okay, you have to explain something that has been bugging me. What's with the whole 'calling us by our whole name' thing?" And by the looks in everyone's faces, except Lena who had suddenly looked somber, Winn knew everyone was wondering the same thing.

"Family tradition, I'm afraid. We believe that names are important. You are not just Hank, or Lena, or Kara. No matter what your feelings are for the family you were born into, they are very much a part of you as you are of them. To deny that is to deny half of your existence, or at least the origin of your existence, which we believe to be a disrespect to you as a person. So while we might not call you by your given name, we will certainly never erase your last name when we call you. Hence why I never refer to Lena Luthor as Lena Kieran Luthor. It was her prerogative to give me her first name, how she wishes to be called. It is out of respect to her as a person that I attach her last name when I refer to her. Same reason why I will not call you—" Taja turned to Winn, "—Winlsow Schott Jr., but only Winn Schott Jr."

Everyone tried to digest what Taja had just said. Winn didn't think there was a significance as to why she kept calling people by their whole names. He, for one, thought it was just something she did to set herself apart, or to be annoying.

"So, you're big on family traditions, huh?" Winn asked, trying to recover the suddenly solemn mood.

Taja shrugged. "Two things. One, we are strangely compelled to follow such traditions. I'm still not sure why, and two—" And then, Taja's voice went low and almost pained, as if she was trying really hard not to say what she wanted to say, "—Family traditions are all I have left to remember my family by."

"Oh…right. Sorry." Winn mumbled. _So much for trying to recover._

Taja smiled, but her voice was hollow and fraught. "It's ancient history. Don't worry too much about it."

Winn wondered why Lena and Alex were both smiling when Taja said 'ancient history', but decided he'd embarrassed himself enough for the night. So he kept it to himself.

* * *

After everyone had left for dinner, Kara practically had to beg Lena to start washing up and let Kara cleanup the dining table.

"Lena, you're tired." Kara pleaded. "I know you've been on your feet and down at the labs all day. So, just let me abuse my superpowers this once and leave the cleaning up to me, okay?"

Seeing Lena's tired but defiant eyes, Kara knew she had to pull out her last ace. "Fine, help me clean up, but you are not allowed to buy or make me anything for the foreseeable future." Kara stated plainly.

She knew it was Lena's one weakness that Kara could use against her without feeling too bad. The ability to pretty much buy or create what Kara wanted was a point of pride for the youngest Luthor. While Kara appreciated her generosity, Kara also made sure never to really ask for anything. She wanted Lena, not Lena's near unlimited bank account. But she also made sure that whenever Lena did buy her something, she would accept it without too much of a fuss. It made Lena smile that wide, blinding smile that Kara loved so much.

To withhold that kind of power from Lena would be…cruel.

"—and don't even think about asking help from Taja." Kara added, hammering the final nail on Lena's defiance.

"…fine." Lena mumbled and dragged her feet to Kara's bathroom.

Since Lena had been staying at Kara's apartment (It was honestly closer to CatCo and than Lena's house and Lena admitted that she really liked surrounding herself with everything that had to do with Kara) since Taja's birthday, Kara had made sure to slowly clear out space for Lena's clothes. At first it was just a pair of casual clothes, and then pj's, and then a few underwear…eventually it did not escape Lena that she had practically invaded half of Kara's closet, which Kara honestly did not mind. Lena offered to buy her a bigger closet, but Kara just laughed, reasoning that her apartment was small and could not possibly hold a bigger closet which earned her a curious look from Lena.

Kara, with superspeed at her disposal, finished cleaning up in time to prepare Lena's favorite sleep wear (Kara's old and ratty gym shirt from high school and an underwear) and hand Lena her towel as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Thank you, darling." Lena murmured. Kara could hear sleep in Lena's voice.

Sure enough, after a quick wash up, Kara found Lena asleep in their bed, a vision of ratty shirt and sinfully delicious underwear, pale skin and scattered black hair…and Kara fell in love all over again.

* * *

"I need to go back to my realm for a few days."

Taja was standing at Alex's doorway, unwilling to enter or to meet Alex's gaze.

Alex thought that Taja was unusually quiet as she drove Alex home but didn't want to press the matter. She had been all smiles and normal until Scarlet approached her to whisper something before they left for home. Taja, as Alex had come to discover, liked to play things close to her chest. While she was always forthcoming with the details to Alex, Alex was also aware that Taja was filtering what she needed to know, and that was honestly fine with Alex most of the time.

"Is everything okay?" Alex asked, concern painting her face.

"Yes and no. The Blood Moon is upon my realm soon, and well, there is a gathering that must be attended to." Taja responded, but Alex sensed her apprehension.

"And this has you worried?" Alex asked.

The smaller woman flinched, and Alex saw the vulnerable little god again which spelled only trouble.

"Well…the thing is… the Blood Moon is a call to gather all of my kin, their thralls, their slaves—" Taja inhaled sharply, her voice suddenly quiet as a whisper "—and their _family_."

It took a moment before it dawned on Alex what Taja was truly trying to say.

"You're taking me to your realm." It wasn't a question, but Alex had to say it.

"I wouldn't want to if I didn't have to…but I have to. I am compelled to."

"_Family traditions…_" Alex said, echoing Taja's term earlier.

Standing in her doorway, Alex felt something like fear or doubt rise out of Taja. It felt oppressive, suffocating.

"I need to gather a few things so I will be going tonight. I'll come back tomorrow, with hopefully everything you will need." Taja said, her voice thick with apprehension.

"What did you do the last time I attended the Blood Moon gathering?" Alex asked, trying to calm Taja down.

"You have never attended before. The Blood Moon and you being alive has never coincided before. This is what worries me." Taja reached out and cupped Alex's cheek. "Which is why I have to go now and gather what I need to protect you."

"But you said my ring will protect me."

"It cannot protect you from me."

* * *

"You're going where?!" Lena heard Kara hiss between her teeth, trying to keep herself from not screaming out loud. This of course garnered Lena's attention who eyed Kara suspiciously.

Alex had barged in earlier, way too early for Kara and Lena's liking. While they were not indecent, barging in at 7am on a Saturday was just not acceptable, especially for one Lena Luthor who ran a demanding business and who was also dating a Kryptonian who was, quite frankly, _insatiable_ in bed, not that she was complaining. However, sleep was a luxury that even Lena Luthor could hardly afford.

Lena groaned but decided to get up, put on a robe, and make breakfast anyway while Alex tried to drag Kara out of bed.

"What's going on?" Lena asked

"Taja is taking Alex to her realm." Kara answered, unable to lie to Lena.

Alex stared at Kara in disbelief, sighed, and dragged her feet towards the kitchen where Lena was still working on breakfast. "She said she's coming back today with some things to protect me. Please tell me she's told you about her realm." Alex asked, looking uncertainly at Lena.

"She has been spending more time with you than with me. All I know is it's a realm full of things that want to eat us." Lena shrugged, but her face was just as concerned as Kara's.

"But she's their king or something, right? So maybe she can get you a free pass." Kara said hopefully but Alex just shook her head.

"High Lord." Lena corrected dryly.

"She gave me my old wedding ring, from when we first got married. It guarantees I am safe from most of them." Alex said, but Lena saw the shadow that fell on Alex's face. "But Taja says that she is the biggest threat to me in her realm. And my ring cannot protect me from her."

"Hold on." Lena said, going into her memory bank, trying to remember all the times she tried to ignore Taja when she talked about Alex. "She mentioned that ring once. Something about it being her only kryptonite in this realm."

"Something like that, yes. I mean, it causes her unspeakable pain when she touches it. But when I wear it, I can literally kill her. If I want to shoot her, it will hurt her. But she says it only works on me. And it doesn't mean that her powers won't work on me either."

"Then just shoot her when she becomes a threat." Kara shrugged.

"If only it were that easy…" Alex muttered.

Lena considered the situation carefully. There were too many unknown variables. Even after spending all that time with Taja, there was still much that they did not know about her. Lena had an idea of her powers, but she seemed to be much more powerful when she's in her own realm. She was sure Alex had considered this too, which was why she was panicking.

"Don't get me wrong. I trust Taja with my life, inexplicably… but you should have seen the way she looked last night. She was genuinely afraid she was going to hurt me…but that she did not have a choice but to bring me along. She is compelled to bring me to this gathering."

"Would it be crazy if I said I kinda want to go too?" Lena abruptly said. And it was true. It was maybe the crazy scientist in her that wanted to see what this other realm looked like. It was dangerous, she knew that, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She was starting to dream of what their architecture or fauna and flora might look like…or if they could even breathe there.

"How long did she say you're going to be there?" Kara asked, looking warily from Alex to Lena.

"If everything goes well, three days at most."

They all turned to Shadow who had just portaled in. Suddenly, Kara's apartment was filled with the rich vanilla and sunshine scent that Lena loved so well, it made her heart hurt for a second.

Shadow was carrying what looked like a black satchel, her eyes glowing red and the markings on her right hand had spread all the way to her shoulders. As soon as she set the satchel down, the markings retreated back to her hand and under her ring.

"I have come as prepared as I can be, but I am still highly apprehensive about this." Shadow had shifted to Taja and Taja was wringing her hands.

"Is it a bad time for me to ask if I can come with?" Lena asked, looking not at Taja but at Kara.

"Aren't you even going to try and stop her?" Alex turned to Kara who had a crinkle on her brow as she stared at Taja's satchel.

"We all know nobody can stop Lena if she wants to do something. And Fangs here looks like she's considered this…" Kara replied with a suspicious shrug to Taja.

"I—I planned for it. I am hoping you change your mind though, Lena Luthor. Because while I am compelled by familial bonds to bring my wife to our gathering, you, I do not have to bring. Please consider that I am already this apprehensive about this whole trip. Bringing you, and by extension, Kara Danvers, along would double my apprehension." Taja has now started to pace, which would alarm Lena, except she had a curious look on her face…almost as if she was still figuring things out.

"Don't you mean triple?" Alex asked.

"No. Just double. Kara Danvers can fly."

"What does that have to do with anything? And why do all of you assume I'm joining this crazy mission?"

Lena watched as Taja slowed her pace to finally stop in front of Kara.

"I will answer your first question later. As to the second question, it's quite simple: Because Lena Luthor wants to come with, and you will not stand sending your Lena Luthor to a place where you are not one flight away." Taja said plainly.

"Okay but I have a responsibility to National City too." Kara reasoned. Lena knew this was desperate Kara. She knew Lena had won and Kara was just grasping at something to make Lena at least think about staying…but it was Alex who shot her down.

"Look, your cousin took a vacation while the entire world nearly fell apart. He owes you. Just tell him it will be a week, tops. And we're not currently dealing with anything major so National City is relatively safe." Alex said. "Besides, I would feel a bit better with you there too."

Lena heard Taja release a long, drawn out sigh. It was the first time she had ever heard something as pained and fearful from her friend. "I take it this has been decided then, and no amount of begging will change your minds?"

And with none of them speaking, Taja murmured "Scarlet."

In a swirl of grey smoke, Scarlet appeared and bowed before Taja.

"You heard all that, yes? Any suggestions?" Taja asked.

"I share your apprehension, Master. But as soon as we enter your lands, it should no longer be a problem."

"I agree. I can open the gate as close to the border as possible, step into the lands and it will only be a matter of keeping them cloaked. We can rest at the villa, then continue, unimpeded, towards the Clearing."

Lena watched as Taja seemed to relax at this plan. When she turned to all of them, she cleared her throat first before speaking.

"Kara Danvers, without additional weight, how fast can you fly and how long can you keep it up?"

Lena looked at Kara who looked like she had never actually considered this. "I can fly at just under the speed of light, but not quite sure how long I can keep it up. The longest I have ever flown at that speed was five minutes, but I suppose I could go longer than that, just not sure for how long."

"This is under Earth's atmosphere, right?" Lena asked.

"Yes. Theoretically, I can go faster in the vacuum of space, but I also cannot breathe there so again, I haven't tried it." Kara shrugged.

"That should be fine. My realm's atmosphere is about the same as here. You can breathe freely there. The gravity though, is remarkably different. I am certain you can hover there, but not freely fly as you can here. But hovering is good enough for our purposes." Taja said.

"Listen well, all of you…" And Taja proceeded to detail their plan.

"Well, that seems like a good plan. I don't understand why you're scared then." Kara asked.

"Because, Kara Danvers, in my lands, my powers flow freely. To control it and keep it tempered is something I need to do, _consciously_, at all times. Unlike here, where my human form can temper my powers automatically, my human from does not work in my realm. If I do not temper myself, all three of you will die from immense pressure within seconds of drawing near me.

And as a creature of desire, this terrifies me beyond anything."

* * *

_**A/N: Let me know what you think!**_


	14. Chapter 14

Honestly, Scarlet wasn't quite sure if her Master was playing dumb or was just trying to subtly tell everyone how important they were to her, how they were all her _family._

Fifteen thousand years since she met the first Master Danvers and her Master was still painfully awkward when trying to convey her true feelings. She had mastered quite a lot of skills over those years, but never the art of just speaking plainly what she really felt. Her Master was honest, sure, but also ridiculously awkward about her own honesty.

Fifteen thousand years and only barely one-fifth of it was spent being with Master Danvers. _Barely was an over exaggeration, but let's say it was accurate._ Majority of those years were spent in immense, inarticulable pain as her soul clawed and ached to be reunited with she who holds her heart _in aeternum_.

Those agonizing years where her Master was seemingly lost, if not for a singular driving force, a goal, if one must: to keep the human realm separate from the demon realm. All so that Master Danvers will always be reborn in a place where there is always hope. It didn't have to be a perfect world. It didn't even have to be a peaceful world. So long as there was hope, the Master knew she could find a way to keep Master Danvers safe.

For if the residents of the demon realm found a way to come back, all hope would be lost.

Scarlet watched as her Master half-heartedly tried, and gloriously failed, to convince Master Luthor and young Master Danvers that they should rethink joining Master Danvers in the demon realm. And now, Scarlet was not sure if her Master was deliberately trying to be dense, _or was she not aware that this was still part of her compulsion? _

Then again, that would make a lot of sense, too.

After all, her Master had a skewed view of what family really was, what it truly meant. She never grew up with a family, not in the real sense anyway. With all her talk of familial traditions, Scarlet guessed that her Master was not aware what that word truly meant for people who grew up with a family, regardless of the level of functionality that family had.

The eldest child of the Lord of the Purebloods, Scarlet's Master was born of royalty and was raised to be royalty, with none of its perks. When Scarlet was given as a gift to her Master, so many years ago, Scarlet was mildly surprised to find a lonely, single-minded creature of focus and commitment—a far cry from what people thought of spoiled royalty. Her time was consumed by lessons in politics, war, and the art of killing with impunity. She was taught to be determined, ruthless, and unrelenting. All her Master had were orders, objectives, all of which she executed with deadly precision. She had no goals, at least not for herself. Not until young Master Kaneh. But that was a thought for another time.

There was never any talk about love, compassion, joy, kindness, or even the wonders of being a child. These things, the first Master Danvers would eventually teach her…for which Scarlet would forever be grateful.

Now, Scarlet mused. It seemed that her Master had unknowingly stumbled on the mysteries of what real family was. Her Master had correctly surmised that she had to bring her wife to the gathering, of course. Scarlet suspected that her Master did not fully understand that family meant she had to bring Master Luthor and young Master Danvers too.

But it was not Scarlet's place to meddle in such lessons. This was something her Master had to discover for herself…even if it did take two humans and one Kryptonian for her to learn.

Scarlet was a loyal servant, her Master's shadow.

* * *

Kara was calm.

She shouldn't be. She should be anxious and jittery, but she was not. She was calm. She attributed most of it to the fact that Lena was seated beside her, her left fingers intertwined with Lena's right. Lena was studying some complicated-looking charts on a heavy tablet. She had earlier assured Kara that she was more than capable of studying these charts with just one hand, so long as Kara was holding the other. This brought on a wave of relief and warmth that Kara wasn't quite ready for. She blushed. And so that was how she had managed to hold on to Lena's hand as they waited, seated inside the DEO conference table.

Alex was three minutes away, no doubt Taja or Shadow just behind her, and Kara could hear Director Henshaw and her cousin, Clark, walking towards the conference room.

When they entered, Lena was the first one to stand up, her fingers still firmly intertwined with Kara's.

It did not escape Kara's notice that Clark was looking pointedly at their hands but did not say anything.

"Superman. Director Henshaw." Lena did not move to shake their hands but gave them both a polite nod. Kara was familiar with this Lena. This was distant Lena, guarded Lena. It dawned on Kara then that Lena was relying on Kara to keep her calm as much as Kara was relying on Lena to do the same.

She was, therefore, grateful when Clark walked towards her to give her a half hug. "Hi Kara." Clark muttered into their hug before separating and sitting beside Hank, on the other side of the table.

She smiled a small 'thank you' kind of smile to her cousin, which Clark returned with a knowing look and a slight grin. This way, Kara did not need to let go of Lena's hand…which was now becoming an anchor for her.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Alex said, looking slightly flustered, as she entered the conference room, with no Shadow or Taja in tow. "There was a bit of a delay in processing the last aliens Supergirl brought in earlier."

"Not a problem, Agent Danvers." Hank waved the apology off. "You said you had something to discuss with Superman and me?"

Alex nodded. "Not me, actually. Shadow?"

The telltale hiss of Shadow's portal was the only sound that could be heard inside the conference room for a good two seconds before Shadow emerged. Kara could see the interest spark in Clark's eyes.

"Superman, I want to introduce you to Shadow." Alex began as soon as Shadow's portal had closed.

Shadow smiled as she slightly bowed her head towards Clark. Whereas Lena's nod was curt, Shadow's felt more gracious, as if it was almost an honor for Superman to meet Shadow.

"Shadow has been helping us out on our missions when we are a bit shorthanded. But mostly, she has overseen Supergirl's training." Alex continued.

"Beat me to a pulp every day, more like." Kara couldn't help but mutter with a mock eyeroll, which earned her a smirk from Shadow.

"And you're all the better for it, just ask the last alien you brought in." Shadow answered.

"Anyway—" Alex interrupted. "—before we begin, I want to thank Superman for coming all the way here on such short notice."

Kara watched as Alex turned to Shadow who nodded and pulled a chair for Alex to sit.

"In the interest of full disclosure, Alex Danvers and I agreed that I should do this in my human form."

It was still fascinating to Kara whenever Shadow phased to Taja. Shadow would become blurry, out of focus around the edges and in the next second she was Taja. It was as simple as that. No fancy lights or smoke and shadows.

"Hello, Clark Kent. My name is Taja Cunningham." Taja began.

"Lena figured it out when I told her who I was. Taja…well she just knows pretty much everything." Kara hastily added when she saw the fleeting panicked look that crossed her cousin's face as soon as his name was mentioned.

"Thank you, Kara Danvers." Taja said, nodding at Kara before continuing to explain their current situation and plan.

Kara was staring at Clark and Hank who were both quiet until Taja finished with "…and all in all, it should not take more than one week."

"Hold on—" It was Clark who found his voice first. "—I'm sorry but this just all seems incredulous. Do you have any proof of this history you have with Alex?"

To Kara's surprise, it was Lena who answered Clark.

"We do, actually." And still with one hand on Kara, she opened a file on her tablet with her other hand and slid the tablet across the table. "Those are scans of Taja's journals. I have taken the liberty of carbon dating the older ones and the dates on the journals significantly matched the result of the carbon dating. If Taja permits, the DEO can run their own independent tests, but all of it will be off the records, of course. The translation is still rough as Taja and I have not had time to work on a translator. We have both been rather _preoccupied._"

There was something about the way Lena said '_preoccupied_' that sounded, at least to Kara, both delicious and hot. It sent an involuntary blush to Kara's cheeks.

"And if that's not enough, I can always allow J'onn J'onnz to scan my memories. Although, as I have warned him before, there are nightmares in my head that can be quite… _traumatizing_… to put it mildly." Taja offered and Kara could see the visible discomfort on Hank's face.

Clark chuckled. "Vampire Diaries…"

Kara wanted to laugh and saw Alex try to hide her laughter in a sudden fit of cough. But then Kara saw the look of confusion on Lena, Taja, and Hank's face.

"It's a YA novel that got eventually picked up for a show about a vampire—" Clark began but sensed the atmosphere and waved it off. "—you know what, never mind. Please continue." He gestured at Taja.

Taja did not miss a beat and continued. "If it were just me and Scarlet, the entire trip would take about three days. However, since we have two humans to cloak and a Kryptonian, the trip should take five days. And this is the amount of time we are asking for you to help watch over National City while these three are gone."

Hank cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. "And what about the rest of your kin? How are you going to protect Alex, Kara and Lena from them?"

Kara watched as Taja's face, already gravely serious, turned somber. It was the same look she wore when she was talking about family traditions over dinner.

"There will be no one else there, save the five of us."

"But you said it was a gathering of your kin?"

"Indeed, and I am the last of my kin." Taja's words were hollow and dead.

Kara felt the gravity of those words hit her more than she thought it should. She finally understood why Taja always looked somber when talking about family. For the longest time, she and Clark thought they were the last of their race. She knew how lonely it felt, how it felt like you could never truly belong anywhere.

And somehow, as before, Director Hank Henshaw managed to say the absolute worst thing he could have possibly said. "Well, don't despair. I thought I was the last of my kind too. And so did Kara and Clark. But recently, we managed to find Martians and Kryptonians. It is entirely possible that you still have kin hidden somewhere."

And he sounded genuinely hopeful too.

Kara saw it before she felt it, a slight tightening of Taja's fist and suddenly the room was oppressive, heavy and suffocating. Kara could practically feel the air around them vibrate. Taja had phased to Shadow and her markings had crawled up from her arms to the top of her neck and on to the half of her face. Her eyes were dull and red. And when she spoke, her words were clear and deadly.

"I had two and a half millennia to make sure that is not possible. I had two and a half millennia to hunt down the very last ones and kill them. Do not speak to me of despair. I do not weep for my kin."

Kara saw the markings crawl delicately, slowly now, like vines threatening to take over Taja's other shoulder until Alex stood up and grabbed Taja in a tight embrace.

Kara knew that at that form, Shadow would have quite easily killed them all. But it was also the first time that she had seen exactly what power Alex had over Shadow…and it was overwhelming. The first moment of contact, Kara saw the an almost instantaneous change. The markings receded in one second and Shadow had phased back to Taja…the only measure of rage left were that Taja's eyes were still red and trained on Hank.

But what interested Kara even more was Lena. She was not at the very least surprised by all of this. Kara's hearing, almost always attuned to Lena's heart, perceived no change in her heartbeat. And the hand that held hers did not so much as move or twitch. Exactly how much did Lena know about Taja?

Alex murmured something so soft, even Kara had a hard time hearing it, and Taja visibly melted under Alex's embrace. She buried her head in the nook of Alex's neck and breathed deeply before slowly detaching herself from Alex.

"We're good?" Alex asked softly.

Taja nodded and stepped back. When she opened her eyes, they were back to their usual amethyst ones, but the edges were still bleeding red.

"Apologies for the outburst. But as you can see, this is a rather sensitive subject for me. All my kin are compelled to attend this gathering and I have been attending on my own for quite some time now. Thus, I assure you, there will be no one else there, save the five of us."

"I'm sorry, but I cant quite let go of the fact that you killed all of your kin…" Clark said warily. "I don't want to judge you. I'm sure you have your reasons, but unless we know them, how can we trust you with people we care about?"

Taja inhaled sharply and was about to answer when Lena called Alex.

"Alex? Do you mind if you take Taja out until I call you again? Perhaps it would be safer for all of us if I take over the explanation from here?"

Taja stared at Lena and Kara wondered what the stare meant. It wasn't hostile but there was an edge there that Kara could not place. Alex, on the other hand simply nodded, and tugged on Taja's hand, leading her out of the conference room.

In some form, Kara understood the power dynamics between Taja and Alex. It was pretty much the same with her and Lena. Except Kara wasn't easily capable of destroying Earth and its surrounding systems on a whim, and Taja was. It was therefore quite impressive that a single look and simple tug could bend Taja's will so that whatever she felt was redirected and all that would be left would be this need to make Alex happy, to comply to whatever Alex demands. And Alex has learned to wield this power completely.

As soon as they were out of the conference room, Lena began speaking and was back to "business Lena" mode.

"When Taja's father died, the mantle of the Master, basically the king of all the vampires, was passed down to Taja. At the time, Taja was considered still too young. Some of her kin thought that the title should have been passed to her father's brother. It created a rift in their kind and for a few years there was uneasy peace that settled over their lands. Until, that is, the next Blood Moon gathering. Those that supported her uncle killed everyone there that supported Taja, but Taja was late in coming and when she arrived, the slaughter was over."

There was an almost clinical quality in Lena's voice that unsettled Kara.

"She mentioned two and a half millennia earlier. That was how long it took for her to track down her uncle's supporters and kill them one by one. They knew Taja was powerful that's why they had made themselves scarce. But she was decidedly even more powerful when she was unhinged. The Blood Moon would not show up for two and a half millennia. And when it did, sure enough, the last of them, her uncle, showed up and she killed him then. Unfortunately, it was also the final nail on Taja's hope that someone else, anybody else, had survived. Nobody came. It was going to be just Taja from then on."

There was a heavy silence as Lena finished her story.

"You asked me before how much I knew about Taja. I'm going to ask you the same thing now, Lena." Kara said, breaking the silence that had fallen on the four of them.

"I am still studying her language. All that I know are snippets of things she has written from before she met Alex. Her language is a little bit complicated and it takes time to study. Why?"

"And you didn't tell me this because?"

"I'm sorry, darling. But it wasn't my story to tell."

"But you just told us..."

"You have super hearing. She does too. If she did not want me to tell that story, she could have stopped me. Surely you understand that right here, right now, I am the most vulnerable of all of us. But she didn't…she just needed someone else to tell her story now. I would have thought that you of all people would understand exactly how painful and traumatic losing your family is. Except that in the end, you didn't actually lose your family, did you? Not entirely, anyway. But she did."

Kara watched Lena's face, searching for any reason to doubt her but found none. When no one seemed capable of speaking, Lena continued, this time addressing everyone in the conference room.

"The Blood Moon gathering is a social event, a mark of belongingness for a clan that seemed intent on being hermits. It was the one time in every so many years that they actually come together and celebrate being a family…imagine how that feels for someone who had half her family murdered and the other she executed herself. On top of that, she is compelled to risk the life of the one person she cares about the most just because she couldn't not go. Do you all understand the stress this is putting on her?"

"I concede that Alex _has_ to go, but why do you want to go, Lena?" Clark asked.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. I am. It's what makes me excellent at my job. But the greater part of this is that she is family to me, too. And I won't live as long as her or Kara, nor would I be resurrected like Alex. This maybe the only time I can support her and be there for her like real family would."

And Kara finally understood. She had always known that beneath the stone-cold mask that Lena always wore was a heart that deeply cared about people, no matter how much thick or high the wall she had put up for herself.

Despite that almost-argument they had, it did not escape Kara's notice that Lena did not let go of her hand. And perhaps that was what relationships were truly all about. Never letting go of each other's hands, no matter how rough or shaky things are getting.

* * *

In the end, and with an understandable amount of reservation, Clark and Hank agreed to cover National City while Alex, Kara and Lena were gone.

Afterwards, the four of them decided to meet up at Taja's penthouse in a few hours as Lena insisted that she had a few more things to take care of before she was free to leave.

Kara flew Lena to _their_ apartment and as soon as they had landed, Lena turned around to kiss Kara deeply. It was only out of sheer necessity, being that humans needed oxygen, that Lena had to, regrettably, pull away.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you." Kara murmured lovingly, her head resting on Lena's forehead.

Lena hummed, her heart soaring a million miles in the sky. "Hmmm. Good. Cause I really want to do that as often as we can every day for the rest of our lives."

"Sounds like a solid plan." Kara agreed, flashing that smile that always made Lena's knees buckle and her heart clench.

Lena buried her face on the nook of Kara's neck and sighed happily as Kara wrapped her arms around Lena's waist to pull her closer.

"I'm sorry, Kara."

Lena felt Kara shift but did not say anything. Add that to the already long list of things that Lena loved about Kara. She knew when Lena needed to talk. Kara could ramble on and on, but she always had a knack for shutting up and just listening when Lena needed to say something…and the silence between them now was comfortable. It was Kara's invitation. Still with her head buried, unable to summon the strength to look at Kara's piercing eyes, Lena continued.

"I have always lived in a morally ambiguous world. I grew up with sharks and wolves and lions, all threatening to devour each other at the first sign of weakness. Playing things close to my chest has just always been the best way to go. I learned to compartmentalize my feelings and priorities, to make little boxes in my head and store whatever emotional baggage I had in them. I just didn't think that I would also be compartmentalizing you."

Lena could feel something in her chest slowly unclench, like a tightly wound up chain that was just now releasing its hold on her.

"I realized this earlier when I saw that look of shock on your face. How could you have known that I was working with Taja and collating her memories, her journals? I never told you about it. It didn't seem so important at the time. I realize now that that's what I do. I compartmentalize and shut people out. It seems so wrong given that Taja never even asked me to keep it secret. It was just a thing we did on our spare time. And I…I'm a shitty girlfriend for keeping things from you, when you are always so open and honest about everything…even things you know I would worry about. I'd like to change that part of myself."

Lena felt Kara's smile more than saw it. It was perhaps in the way she exhaled and inhaled, Lena couldn't be sure. But she knew Kara was smiling long before she looked up to stare at Kara's eyes, and found nothing but love and understanding.

"No more secrets then?" Kara asked.

Lena thought for a second. "I cannot promise with absolute certainty that I would never keep a secret from you. After all, I like surprising you. But maybe, I can promise you that whatever it is that I'm keeping secret will always come from a place of love. Everything else, no matter how mundane or boring or dark or painful the details are, will be open to you. In fact—" Lena reached for her mobile phone and fiddled with it, still within Kara's embrace. "—there we go."

Kara looked at Lena, curious. "What did you do?"

Lena smiled and kissed Kara deeply before muttering, "I hacked into the DEO and got your biometrics. Registered those in my security mainframe which means you now have unfettered access to my phone, my laptop, and everywhere else that needs my thumbprint or eye-scan to access."

"You know you could have just asked for those from me, right? I mean, I'm right here."

"Yes, I know, but I wanted to impress you and also admit to you that I can, in fact, hack a government black site using nothing but my phone."

Kara shook her head before laughing out loud. "You…you really are amazing."

"Oh you should see what I can do in bed." Lena replied with an all too serious look on her face.

* * *

It would take another four hours before Lena and Kara would 'finish' whatever it was that they needed to 'finish'.

* * *

When they landed on Taja's apartment, Lena was mildly surprised to find Alex alone, curled up on Taja's massive couch, nursing a scotch and watching Netflix.

"Where's Taja?" Lena asked.

Alex shrugged. "She's been avoiding me since we got back from the DEO. I think she still feels guilty about losing it. So, she's been moving in and out of her portal, arranging something in the guest bedroom but she wouldn't look at me, nor would she let me in."

"Do you want us to talk to her?" Kara asked.

"No. I have learned to give her time. That's all she ever really has." Alex answered, but Lena could hear the painful truth of what she said, not sure whether Alex was aware of it or not.

"And Scarlet?" Lena asked, diverting the conversation.

"In the guest bedroom with her"

A door opened somewhere and Taja padded slowly towards them, a proud but anxious smile on her face.

"A few things, before we begin. We cannot take anything from this realm to mine. Not a single thing. Second, we have prepared a bath for all three of you in separate guest rooms. In due consideration to Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor, we had to procure a bigger bathtub to fit you both. We need you to thoroughly scrub yourself as well as you can, to remove any smell of the human realm. The waters in the bathtub and the adjacent bins were all taken from a spring near my home. The bathtub and all the accessories you will be using were also all taken from my realm. In the same rooms, you will find the clothes you will be wearing for our trip, and the cloaks you will need to securely fasten on you at all times."

"Once you are done with all that, we will cross the gate to my realm."

* * *

The guest bedroom where Scarlet led Kara and Lena was stripped bare and lit by strange looking candles and lamps. The curtains were drawn for privacy and in the middle was, for lack of a better term, a mini-pool. It was square, could easily fit six people and about as high and deep as a normal bathtub, except it was made of stone that closely resembled obsidian, if a bit duller. To the left of the 'bathtub' was a wooden table, that Lena guessed was made of wood that was not from this realm. It had an odd purple sheen about it but otherwise looked like a normal table. It held a few towels, some folded clothes, all in white, and a pair of deep black cloaks. Lena noted how it seemed to absorb the light around it.

She turned to Kara who was just taking everything in and was gingerly playing with the water.

"The water's warm." Kara murmured.

"I can't believe I'm about to undress you again." Lena said with a grin on her face.

"The two of you better not have sex in there. The walls are thin and it is the last thing I want to hear right now" Alex shouted from the other room, which set off laughter from Kara and Lena.

"We'll try to keep it down then, but no promises." Lena shouted back, slowly unbuttoning her shirt for Kara's viewing pleasure.

"Luthor, I swear to god if I hear so much as an untoward sound from the both of you, I will string you up and hang you, upside down, naked, from Taja's balcony."

"Untoward?" Lena teased. Her blouse gone, she walked languidly towards Kara who looked like she suddenly had difficulty swallowing.

"You know what I mean, Luthor."

"I'm not sure I do." Lena smirked and leaned toward a grinning Kara, who finally caught on and captured Lena's lips. It's not that she wanted to moan that loud on purpose, but the way Kara was exploring her mouth, the way Kara's tongue was almost massaging her own…the moan was completely involuntary and set off something in Kara.

"Oh. My. God!" But Alex's protest sounded off and into the distance as Kara's hands travelled from Lena's neck, stopping briefly to unclasp Lena's bra, then continued down to gently but firmly grope both her ass cheeks.

"If you two don't stop, Kara Danver's face will be all that I will be hitting during training sessions for one whole month." Taja finally said, calmly, from the other side of the room.

"Fine," grumbled Kara, much to Lena's disappointment.

* * *

To say that Lena enjoyed the feel of the fabric she wore was an understatement. It moved like silk, felt like vicuna wool, and looked like cashmere. It was light and comfortable and pristine in its whiteness. Going by Kara's face, she enjoyed it just as much, if not more so. She couldn't stop running her hands over Lena's arms, feeling the fabric over and over again.

The top was long-sleeved, collared and buttoned just below the neck, and the pants were loose and flared. Even the soft footwear was white.

"Taja! Can I keep these?" Lena nearly squealed in delight as she burst through the adjacent room.

Taja's grin was back but she shook her head. "Unfortunately, they don't last very long here. Something about the harsh conditions of this world runs them down. I tried before. But I'm glad you liked them. Because I have six pairs of those packed away. Unfortunately, they are all you can wear, plus the cloaks."

"Okay, but can I keep the cloak?" It was Alex who asked this time. She emerged from the other room with what looked like a form fitting, deep black cloak, its hood down. There were silver specks in its lining that twinkled like little stars in the darkest night.

"Yes, the cloaks you can definitely keep. But you will not see its full effect until we are in my realm."

The room was suddenly silent as Taja snapped her fingers. A soft golden glow filled the room as a portal opened.

Scarlet appeared in gray smoke beside Shadow as she gestured to the portal.

"Shall we?"

* * *

**A/N: Ugh finally. Done with this transition chapter. And on we go.**

**^_^'**  
** Oh and uh…If you know any really patient beta readers. All of this has been done with no beta so like and English is not my first language..I need help!**

**Find me on Twitter!**

** TheLazyBam**


	15. Chapter 15

_DAY ONE – MORNING_

* * *

Alex Danvers has always been fit.

Even in her more carefree, sort-of-rebellious phase, she had always been careful about her body, eating just enough, indulging only when she absolutely deserved it…like that time she ate a donut in the middle of the day because she was just figuring out she liked women. It was a whole other world of stress, so of course she deserved that donut.

Working for the DEO and fighting aliens several times stronger than her had forced her to always be on her toes. This meant that she had to make sure her body was always at its best shape. Hours at the gym and regularly sparring with the other agents made sure of this fact.

It was therefore disconcerting when, as soon as she stepped into the golden light of Taja's portal, she felt as if her weight had tripled. She could still stand, but the effort of walking, even the effort of breathing, was tiresome. It was as if her knees strained to support her weight and her lungs were constricted. The very act of standing beside Scarlet's shadow, waiting for Kara and Lena to pass through the portal, was taxing and she wished for her bed.

Alex barely had time to register her surroundings when she felt something scoop her up like a bride and begin running. In her head, she heard something echoing, a familiar voice, as they ran.

"Young Master Danvers, would you like me to carry Master Luthor as well? Or would you be able to keep up even with her? We will need to run quite a distance in order to avoid my Master's powers from crushing all of us."

Alex looked up and it was only then that she realized that the shadow she had been standing next to, that had scooped her up, and was now carrying her to safety, was, in fact, Scarlet. Except Scarlet, in what Alex assumed was her demon form, was like a smoky, obsidian cloud, with a stretched-out humanoid shape. She seemed like the same shadow one would have if one stood against the setting sun. She was lanky, but with a long torso, and could easily clear fifteen feet if she stood straight instead of always stooping down. Her head was nothing but a round shape, with two flaming scarlet orbs in place where eyes should be. She had no other features.

"Scarlet! You're a telepath?" Lena asked as she settled in Kara's arms.

"Of sorts, Master Luthor." Scarlet answered. She still had the same voice, but inside Alex's head, it sounded like Scarlet had been given a microphone with too much echo and bass.

"So, how long are we going to be running?" Kara asked. Alex could hear an unambiguous strain on Kara's voice as they ran.

"At our current pace, we should be safe in about thirty minutes. If you are comfortable to hasten a little bit more, young Master Danvers, we can perhaps cut that time in half."

Alex could swear she heard amusement in Scarlet's voice. But it was difficult to tell as Scarlet didn't have a face to begin with. She watched as her little sister held Lena closer to her chest and whisper something. It made the youngest Luthor smile as Kara turned to Scarlet and with a grin.

"Let's go faster, then."

* * *

Alex looked around.

There was nothing but idyllic rolling hills all around them as far as her eyes could see. They were running on a carved dirt path surrounded on both sides by green fields, punctuated by random patches of blues, oranges, yellows and purples. There were a few odd trees here and there and, in the edges, she could see the shadow of what looked like a mountain range. By all accounts, except for the difference in gravity, Taja's realm looked pretty much like Earth. It even had the same yellow sun set against a cerulean sky and a smattering of clouds.

It was evening when they left their Earth, but here, it looked like the sun had just risen. There was a cold and slightly damp nip in the air. The fact that Alex was being held by nothing but smoke and shadows should have made her worry, but there was this distinct knowledge in Alex's mind that she was held by the one other entity that Taja trusted…and Alex knew she would be safe.

It amused her to hear, for the first time, her little sister breathing heavily as she ran. Alex could almost see a slight sheen of sweat forming between Kara's brows, furrowed in concentration.

After a while, Kara's heavy breathing turned into full-on panting.

But Alex didn't have that much time to revel in the knowledge that Kara could actually run out of breath, because soon enough Scarlet started to slow down and eventually stop. Carefully, she let Alex down.

"Rao! Is this what exercising feels like, Alex? Why? Why do you torture yourself like that?" Kara said, in between gulps of deep breath. Lena was wiping Kara's brows with one hand, and rubbing lazy, comforting circles on her back.

"Fascinating what a little bit of added gravity and weight could do to a Kryptonian." Lena teased. Kara huffed but smiled anyway.

"What's the plan now, Scarlet?" Alex asked, preferring not to tease Kara as Lena was doing a fine job anyway.

Without a word, Scarlet extended an arm to the direction where they came from. Alex could no longer see the portal of course, but in the distance, she saw a bright flash of light. Immediately afterwards, she felt it.

It reminded her of what they felt in the DEO conference room earlier. But this was worse, much worse. Alex felt like the very air was being squeezed out of her lungs, like something crushing had just fallen on her chest and it was threatening to press all life out of her. Gravity worked against her and she fell to her knees, gasping, desperate for air that her lungs could not quite hold. She felt herself fading in and out of consciousness.

And just as suddenly as it started, it ended.

"What was that?" Lena gasped as Kara helped her up.

Alex took Scarlet's obsidian hand and pulled herself up, taking deep breaths as soon as she had straightened up.

"We were at the very edge of the reach of my Master's power. If we had been slightly closer to her, Master Danvers and Master Luthor would have died instantly. We wanted you to experience for yourself what my Master meant when she said the pressure alone from her powers would kill you. And she will have to consciously and consistently keep that power tempered within her while you three are here. Otherwise…"

Scarlet left her thoughts hanging. She didn't need to say it. They all understood.

One slip, one moment of weakness or distraction, and the three of them would die. This was what was stressing Taja out so much, and they had to experience it to understand.

It was just now beginning to dawn on Alex exactly how powerful her wife was. If her mere presence could wipe out humans several kilometers around her, Alex shuddered to imagine what she could do on Earth if she unleashed her full power there.

* * *

"Apologies for the wait."

There was no wait. Or it couldn't even be considered a wait since they spent the five minutes it took Taja to run to their side as time to recover their breaths and compose themselves. When she turned around, Alex found Taja in Shadow's form…but it wasn't exactly the Shadow they were familiar with.

On top of her dark blood red hair was a crown made of twisted metal vines, wrapping in and out of each other in a beautiful sort of chaos. Thorns jutted from the bottom of the crown and looked like it was painfully impaled on Shadow's head, securely fastening the crown. There was a terrible black sword protruding from Shadow's back. It looked like someone stabbed Shadow from her left shoulder, angled it down, and buried it to the hilt. If Shadow was in pain, she didn't look like it. She didn't even look like the sword bothered her at all.

But what fascinated Alex more than anything was the amount of scars Shadow had. She was wearing her usual black, sleeveless ensemble, and the scars on her arms and shoulders where visible and pale. It was perhaps only a miracle that Shadow's face was at least untouched.

"Whoa, Fangs, what happened to you?" Kara said, openly gawking at Shadow's scars.

"Don't look so surprised, Sunshine." Shadow replied. "I have been fighting most of my life, and every three hundred years, I enter a tournament to the death. I am bound to have scars."

"Don't mind Kara. I like your scars." Alex said, reaching out and tracing one of the longer scars on Shadow's arms.

"Now, who's being gross and cheesy?" Kara teased.

"Nice crown, Taj." Lena said, grinning widely and doing a mock curtsy.

Shadow grinned in return, her sharp fangs showing. "That's High Lord Taja to you."

"We should get going. I would prefer that we get there while there is still light so you all can settle and rest." Shadow said after looking around.

"So how are going to do this?" Alex asked.

"I should have asked if any of you were allergic to fur." There was a playful grin on Shadow's face, a kind Alex had never seen her do before. The kind of grin only a child would have if it had something hidden that it thought was fun and that perhaps nobody else will. And before any of them could react, Shadow put two fingers against her lips and blew out a whistle high, loud, and long.

It was almost as if the realm went still for a few precious seconds. There was a dead silence, as if even the winds stopped breathing.

And then Alex heard it.

The padding of heavy feet and loud panting. But it was Kara that saw them first.

"Puppies!"

Sometimes, Alex wondered how her little sister viewed the world. Her hope was almost always infallible, and she had the biggest heart of anyone Alex had ever known. For an alien, she placed more trust on humanity than humans ever did. Clearly, she saw things differently than most people… But the creatures that had streaked past them and were now turning back, decelerating, were not puppies. Not at all.

They were dogs, yes, wind sweeping moonlight colored, thick and shaggy fur. But they were also gargantuan.

They were bounding now, straight for Shadow whose hands were splayed in front of her, knees bent and ready, as if she was anticipating to actually catch the huge dogs that were hurtling towards her. Which was exactly what she did.

Both dogs bent their heads down, low enough so that each head hit Shadow's palms, dead center. They pushed Shadow a few meters back before all three of them came to a full stop. When Shadow released them from her grasp, the two dogs lumbered beside her and sat, one on either side, their heads turned to Shadow in full attention.

Shadow looked even smaller now beside the two dogs.

"This—" Shadow gestured to the one on her right, "—is Datu. And his brother Lakan. They are twins."

"Can I touch them?" Kara asked, barely hiding her glee.

"Patience, Sunshine." Shadow's smile was almost benign. Her childlike demeanor was gone and she was back to being a regal little god. "There is an order to these things." Alex watched as Shadow walked directly towards her, stopping only when she was a couple of steps away. With both eyes trained on Alex's, Shadow's voice sounded gentle.

"My friends, I would like to introduce to you my wife, Alex Danvers, the purpose of my life, the bearer of my heart and the better half of my soul. Guard her as you would me."

Now that they were mere inches away from Alex, they looked more like the pictures she saw of Holocene era wolves, with the exception that they were much more massive. They looked so similar except for their eyes. Datu, the one on Shadow's right had silver pools in his iris, while his brother, Lakan, had gold. Sitting beside Shadow, they fell just a little shorter in height than Scarlet. They had broad shoulders, thick necks, and ears raised up and alert. Four fangs, two at the top, and two at the bottom, peeked out from at the front of their snout.

They padded slowly, carefully towards Alex and sniffed her once, twice, before bowing, two pairs of canine eyes looking expectantly at her.

"They are waiting for you to touch them, Alex Danvers." Shadow said.

Slowly, carefully, Alex extended her hands placed them gently on top of their snouts. For a moment, Alex felt like her world stopped and all she could see were three pairs of eyes: red that looked at her with love and devotion, silver and gold that searched her whole being, as if the very fibers of her memories were being stretched out, challenged, and examined.

It felt like an odd and peaceful place to be in.

Eventually, silver eyed Datu retreated and padded back behind Shadow while Lakan stayed, his golden eyes still fixed on Alex, his snout still beneath Alex's hand. She stared for a moment before warily looking at Shadow, not knowing what to do. Shadow, on the other hand, had a curious grin on her face.

"That is interesting…" Alex heard Shadow breathed.

"What is?" Alex asked.

"I'm not quite certain yet. But it is interesting, to me at least, that Lakan stays." She said, her eyes now trained on the golden eyed dog.

"So…so, _High Lord Fangs_, can I touch them now?" Kara was almost squeaking with excitement behind Shadow.

Alex, Shadow, and Lena all laughed while Kara looked at the three, confused.

"I doubt Lakan will let you play with him, right now. He is still very much fixated on your sister. However, I must introduce Lena Luthor to Datu, first. Then we'll see if Datu wants to play with you."

Kara huffed again but said nothing. Alex watched, her hands still on Lakan, as Shadow turned around, with a giant Datu padding behind her and stopped in front of Lena. Lena, in pure Luthor form, looked slightly interested but mostly unperturbed.

"Datu, this is Lena Luthor. In my heart, she is my sister and I care for her just as much. I leave her to your care."

Datu's massive head bowed and waited for Lena's hand. Alex heard Lena gasp when her hand made contact with Datu's snout and her jade eyes suddenly became glassy and distant. She was still watching Lena interact with Datu when Alex heard a slight whine from Lakan, forcing her back to golden orbs.

"Wow, you're needy, aren't you?" Alex chuckled and rubbed her hand against Lakan's head. Lakan, in turn, laid down on all fours, looked behind him, then looked back at Alex expectantly.

"He's allowing you to climb on his back." Shadow explained, seeing the inquiring look Alex gave her.

"Hold on. So, Alex gets to ride Lakan and Lena goes to Datu…which means—" Kara was saying before Shadow cut her off.

"You are running. This is a perfect opportunity for you train and become faster." Shadow said, smiling. "In fact, I'll do you one better. If you can outrun Lakan or Datu, I will give you one day, from sunrise to sunrise, where I will completely remove my defenses and you can beat me to your heart's desire."

"Oh you are so on, Fangs."

By the time both Shadow and Kara had shaken on their agreement, Lakan and Datu were standing up, with their respective riders holding fast on their furs.

"Now, Sunshine…I can finally introduce you." Shadow said, a curious smile playing on her face. She turned to the two giant dogs and gestured to Kara.

"Datu, Lakan, this is Kara Danvers, my dear friend, my charge, and the keeper of my sister's heart. Treat her accordingly."

Alex felt strong muscles between her thighs bristle and twist as Lakan's head turned to Kara. Datu on the other side of Shadow did the same. Instead of bowing down, however, the two giant dogs stepped on either side of Kara, bent their knees, trained their heads low and parallel to the ground, and waited.

Shadow laughed.

"Well now that is something I have never seen before."

"What's happening?" Kara asked, suddenly uncertain.

"They see you as an equal, and a challenge. They are waiting for you to ready yourself to run alongside them, or to race them. Either way is fine. I suggest you do not disappoint them."

Alex saw Kara grin. "Lena, Alex, hold on tight. This is going to be fast."

* * *

The trip to Taja's home was unremarkable, and boring, if Alex was going to be honest. There was nothing else to see beyond the idyllic rolling hills and by the first hour of their journey, she had grown tired of it. She glanced over at Lena, astride, proud and straight on Datu's back. Her eyes looked like it was taking in everything, remembering every detail. She looked far from being bored.

Kara on the other hand was focused. She was neck to neck with Datu and Lakan and looked like she was enjoying the challenge, judging by the grin on her face. Scarlet was keeping up behind them and Taja was nowhere to be seen.

"Scarlet, where is Taja?" Alex asked.

"She had run back outside the borders of her province to feed, Master Danvers. She will not be feeding again until after we come down from the gathering, before we head back to your realm. Do not worry, Master Danvers, she is ever watchful of us. After all, all that is precious to her is here now, making haste to her home." Scarlet answered.

Perhaps because Taja had a steady supply of blood or those pills from Lena, Alex would sometimes forget what her wife was. She would join Alex for dinner and eat human food as well as a normal human being but admitted that it tasted bland and gave her no satisfaction. She preferred to drink scotch only because she liked the way it burned down her throat. Taja had made sure to always feed before meeting Alex or training Kara. Lena's pills made sure that Alex never had to see Taja actually drink human blood.

But now that they were in her realm, where the blood of demons, Taja had also admitted, was more nourishing but tasted far, far less appealing than human blood, Alex knew Taja did not need to keep blood stored in bags or pouches…and that perhaps she would witness her wife drink from other demons. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, to be honest so she decided to put it at the back of her head and cross that bridge if ever they get there.

Eventually, knowing that they were as safe as they ever going to be, and with the wind cool on her face and back, Alex fell asleep.

When she woke up, Lakan was lying on the green grass next to Datu who no longer had Lena on her back. The two dogs were both growling gently in their sleep.

Kara was sprawled on the short grass, asleep too but with a grin on her face.

"She collapsed of exhaustion when Scarlet told us we were here. She won." Lena explained when she saw Alex looking at her. She had an amused smile of her own as she sat next to Kara.

"Of course, she did. Where are we?" Alex asked, looking around. The sun was just past midway.

"Taja's home." Lena answered simply, her attention still on the contented sleeping figure of Kara.

* * *

Whatever it was that Alex expected her wife's home would be, this was not it. After all, Taja lived in a penthouse suite at one of the more expensive hotels in National City. She was also supposed to be the High Lord of this realm, so it was once again a surprise, but not an altogether unpleasant one, to find that Taja's home was a square, stone cabin, made of the most beautiful red and gray marble Alex had ever seen. Despite its color, it looked like it was glimmering under the afternoon sun. It sat at the very edge of a thick, dark forest.

Taja's home had no doors but instead had an open archway as its entrance. Its windows were perfect circular holes carved out of the marble at even intervals. It was plain, simple, and perhaps the most unsecure house Alex had ever seen, if she hadn't known who the owner of the home was. It had no gates, no doors, and all the windows were open.

She could see Scarlet's looming figure, literally sitting, cross-legged, on top of the marble house, her eyes trained towards the forest.

"Do you need help getting down?"

She turned to the familiar voice and saw Shadow standing behind her. Alex figured she could just slide down Lakan's smooth fur, but the thought of being carried by Shadow, and nestling her head in the crook of her neck, even for just a second, was too delicious a thought to pass up. So she nodded and smiled.

As soon as Alex's feet were firmly on the ground, Shadow moved beside Lena and offered to lift Kara's sleeping figure.

"Don't worry, she's much too tired to wake up now." Shadow assured Lena as she picked up Kara. "Follow me and I'll show you to your beds."

When they stepped inside, Alex was once again pleasantly surprised that the interior had bare furnishings. There were no paintings or sculptures, or shelves with baubles, and the walls were bare. The floor and ceiling were made of silver and white marble stones.

In the middle of the square home was a simple, wooden chair, paired with a heavy looking table. Alex could see scrolls, stone tablets, and interesting devices arranged neatly but covering almost the entire table.

In the farthest corner, there were piles of fur stacked on top of each other. On top of the stack of fur were sheets of cloth, the same white ones they were wearing.

"If I had known, ages ago, that I would be bringing people here, I would have made actual beds, and made my home look as if someone lived here." Shadow murmured as she laid Kara on the make-shift bed.

"It does look a bit empty, Taj. I'm guessing you don't stay here much?" Lena asked, settling beside Kara, and sitting on the fur bed.

"On the contrary, I spend most of my time here. I have just never seen the need for furnishings as I never really have visitors. Scarlet stays outside and Datu and Lakan prefer to sleep in the forest, under the trees. I don't have a dining table because I don't have conventional meals. There is, however, a bath in the basement and a shed in the forest nearby where I do some of my research." Shadow answered.

"I think I'll join Kara with her nap. Do we still need to wear our cloaks here or-?" Lena tugged at her cloak.

"You can take it off as long as you are inside my home. If you want to wash up, the bathroom, as I said, is in the basement—" Shadow pointed to a corner with what looked like stairs going down. "—you should be able to figure out how things work from there. Feel free to use all the amenities there."

"Thanks, Taj. Although, I think I'll just remove the cloak and take a quick nap, for now." Lena said, pulling herself out of her cloak. She folded it neatly and placed it beside her. As soon as she stretched herself beside Kara, placing her head on Kara's shoulders, Kara automatically moved and draped her hands around Lena's waist. Not a second after that, Alex was watching Kara and Lena as they slept, content in each other's presence.

"I wonder if we look like that when we sleep." Alex said softly.

"You like sleeping on your side, your head tucked just below my jaw. I lay all night feeling your breath down my chest and it feels like the warmest, safest place I can ever imagine. It feels like home, Alex Danvers."

Alex searched Shadow's eyes and found love. She wondered if she will ever feel things with the same intensity Shadow does. It's not that she didn't feel anything for Shadow. She cared for her. She liked her, that much she was certain. But love…

The problem was that Shadow has never actually asked Alex to love her. All Shadow has ever asked for was the opportunity to love her, to take care of her, and for Alex to accept this love. And she did.

"Would you like to join them, or would you like to walk around with me?" Shadow's voice broke Alex from her thoughts

"I think I'll go join you for that walk."

* * *

Outside, Scarlet was still sitting on top of Shadow's home, still watching the forest. The sun was behind her, slowly climbing down, so that Scarlet looked like she had a halo on the edges of the deep darkness of her head.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is Scarlet?" Alex asked as they walked along the forest edge.

"Scarlet is an ancient entity, older than my father and his father. Older, perhaps, than this forest. They live in deep mountain caves and dark forests like this. We call them Ghosts, but not in the same way humans see ghosts. See, Scarlet and her kin, they feed on the memories of the recent dead. She's mostly harmless, at least that's what most of us think of them."

"How did she become your servant?"

"It's a long and convoluted story. But basically, she was captured, and bound to become a servant. She was then sold from one demon to another until she landed in the hands of one of my kin, who thought it would be funny to give her to me as a gift."

"Funny?"

"Well, a secondhand servant, who did not even know how to fight or hunt, wasn't really fit for the heir to the throne. At least that's how my father saw it. But I've seen her and know better. After all, most of her kin do not wait for someone to die to feed. They bring death with them"

"That's…yeah. And the two dogs?"

"Lakan and Datu are this realm's version of wolves, but much smarter. They live in complex packs and need quite a bit of land to hunt. Their parents gave them to me when they were much smaller in exchange to be allowed to hunt in these lands. I refused, but the two pups had already grown attached and followed me everywhere. I felt too bad, so I gave them permission to hunt anyways, making it clear that their sons are free to leave and are not bound to me in any way…And speaking of attached." Shadow gestured to their right.

Alex turned and found Lakan staring at her, his golden eyes fierce and focused, while he padded alongside them, keeping a respectable distance.

"I'm starting to suspect that I'm irresistible to demons." Alex chuckled.

"…or you're just irresistible." Shadow answered, a shy smile on her face, making Alex blush.

* * *

Alex and Shadow spent the next few hours gathering food and supplies.

While they gathered, Shadow explained that while she thought the idea of bringing Alex over to the demon realm was something she did not want to consider, she had also prepared for it—sort of. Over the years, she had experimented on which fruits and meats from the demon realm were safe to eat for humans. She did skin tests first, then ate them in her human form. If she didn't get any negative reaction, she would forward with human testing. The taste though, was entirely based on her human subjects for even demon food tasted nothing to her.

She shyly admitted that there were some humans that had gotten sick, but that they were well compensated for, as a way of apology. Eventually, she had narrowed down just enough fruits, vegetables, and methods of cooking meats that were not just edible but tasted well enough for humans to eat.

All the while, Lakan stalked and followed them so that Shadow was forced to make him hunt for specific kinds of meat. When he came back, an hour later, he had more than enough meat to feed a Luthor Charity Gala. It earned him a vigorous pat on the head by Alex which emboldened the giant dog to step closer as they walked back home.

* * *

They were at the entrance of Taja's home when Scarlet, Lakan and Datu (who was waiting in front of Taja's home), and Shadow all suddenly and simultaneously looked down the road where they had all earlier come from.

Without another word, Scarlet jumped down and was suddenly standing at her full height. The two dogs were growling, fangs showing and hair standing on end, their eyes focused on something distant that Alex couldn't see.

Shadow, on the contrary, was calm. But when she spoke, Alex heard a voice that she had never heard before.

It was commanding, still, but left no room for questions or doubts

"Alex Danvers, I need you to listen to me and to listen to me carefully. I need you to go inside and stay with Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor. Wake them up and instruct them to wear their cloaks. Once that's done, I need you to stay in your beds and not move or make a single sound. You have five minutes. Go now."

Alex wasn't quite sure why, but she did as commanded and woke up a disgruntled Lena and a snoring Kara. Shadow followed Alex soon after but was not looking at any of them. Instead, she sat at the lonesome chair in the middle of her home, behind the table filled with scrolls and folded her hands in front of her. She looked different. She looked like…a king. At least more so than usual. She looked taller, more stately, more focused, and colder.

There was no warmth, no love, nor any filial devotion on her red eyes.

This was High Lord Taja, absolute ruler of the Demon Realm.

"You ask for death by coming here, unannounced, my lords. This better be worth your lives."

* * *

**A/N: **

**Hi Sorry for the delay. My brain refused to function for a few days. This entire chapter is written in Alex's perspective because I decided I just wanted to make life that much harder for me and stick to one POV in this chapter. It was a bit challenging, but at least now I know I can do it. I have another fic planned and I was sincerely thinking of doing it entirely on one POV.**

** Anyways, so this is the first half of Day One.**

**A bit of an introduction to Taja's realm, a little bit of a tour of Taja's home, and a peek into the life of the High Lord, all seen through Alex's eyes.**

**Except Taja's, who's POV would you like the second half of day one to be written on?**


	16. Chapter 16

_**DAY ONE – EVENING**_

* * *

Lena woke up to a panicked Alex.

"Lena, Kara, get up please."

"What's happening?" Kara mumbled sleepily. She held Lena tighter, her eyes still closed.

"I'm not sure, but Taja sounds serious. I think something's coming. Please get up and put your cloaks back on."

Lena, still pinned down by Kara's hand on her waist, twisted to her side and reached for the cloak she knew she folded and placed beside her.

"Darling, I think we need to move."

One of the more surprising things Lena found out about Kara since they started going out and basically moving in together was that Kara was at her most stubborn when she's just waking up. Lena, an early riser, had to basically bribe Kara with sex or food, sometimes both, just so the Kryptonian would wake up. But she had no option for both now…or well…she could always resort to blackmail.

"Kara, if you don't move now, I swear to your Rao I am withholding sex for a month." Lena muttered. She saw Alex roll her eyes.

"Ugh fine. As if you can actually do it." Kara mumbled, releasing Lena who was wearing her Luthor side smile.

"Don't tempt me, Kara Zor-El." she said, fastening her cloak around her.

"Would you two be quiet? Taja is coming. Shut up and don't move." Alex whispered urgently. _Was that fear she heard in Alex's voice?_

Lena watched in silence as her best friend—no, as High Lord Taja—walked towards the wooden chair. She had seen this version of Taja before, but sparingly, and this was perhaps a harsher version of what Lena had known all those years. This was Taja dealing with lawyers who insisted on getting their way and greedy financial advisers who thought they knew better.

But perhaps this was a worse version of that Taja she knew.

Taja had no warmth in her, not a trace of humanity. This was all Shadow and no Taja at all.

She did not know when she did it, but she was suddenly aware that she was holding on to Kara's arms.

**_"You ask for death by coming here, unannounced, my lords. This better be worth your lives."_**

Taja's voice sounded like an echo in her head. And the shape her mouth was forming was different from what they were hearing.

_"Scarlet? Is this you?" _Lena asked, in her head.

_"Indeed, Master Luthor. The cloaks you are wearing are made from a fiber of my being. If I cover you completely, you will not be seen nor sensed. You do not see me now for you are all inside me. But this way, we can all speak freely, in our minds." _Scarlet's voice echoed.

_"Does this mean we can read each other's minds?"_ Kara's voice sounded weird in Lena's head. She sounded…brighter, more cheerful than usual.

_"I'm afraid not, young Master Danvers. I am no telepath. I can only relay voices and thoughts if they are directed at me or if I can hear them. Perhaps, you can consider me a stealthy communication device of some sort."_

_"Would all of you please shut up? Something's coming."_ Alex interrupted, annoyance and fear staining her usually composed voice.

They probably all felt it at the same time. The same energy as this morning, the same energy in the DEO…but this was diminished. It was still uncomfortable, like something was holding Lena up by the neck, and a weight was placed on her chest, enough to cause her discomfort, but not enough to stop her from breathing.

_"Pardon the intrusion, Master. We understand the risk we took in showing up tonight."_

They weren't there. And then they were.

Six figures of varying sizes were bowed low to the floor, faces and shapes hidden entirely beneath cloaks of different colors. Lena wasn't sure who among them were speaking, but two figures, one almost as wide as Taja's table and the other slim but long were at the front. Maybe one of them? She couldn't even tell if the voice was male or female…

**_"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Whether you live or die relies entirely on your next words. I suggest you use them wisely."_**

"_Famine. War. Death. These has come upon our lands and we are in dire need of your help, Master."_

**_"Famine?"_**

_"Our lands have stopped producing and the livestock we rely on have started dying in turn."_

**_"War."_**

_"We had no other recourse but to turn to our neighbors to feed our children."_

**_"Death."_**

_"We brought death upon each other. And for that we deserve nothing less than death…but spare our children, the infirmed, and our elders, Master."_

There was an eerie silence that was suddenly hanging in the air. Lena could almost feel the fear emanating from the cloaked figures. It was as if the suffocating air was not because of everyone's powers, but from their fear. It was palpable, almost physical. These were demons who knew they were going to die. They were waiting for death, as payment for their Master to save their lands and people. It didn't feel like such a demonic thing to do, after all. But there was fear, nonetheless.

When at last Taja spoke again, Lena saw the unmistakable flinch in all six figures.

They were waiting for death.

**_"The children, the sick, and the elders, how do you care for them when there is little food to be found?"_**

_"We keep them away from where the fighting is heaviest. Our healers are doing what they can, but every day, more and more people come. All the food that can be spared are split between our soldiers and our vulnerable kin."_

**_"Who is fastest among you?"_**

The farthest figure from Taja crawled in a hurry and stopped in the middle of the two figures in front. Lena watched as Taja lifted both her hands to her mouth and whispered something that either Scarlet could not hear or understand. Taja's hands began to glow as she continued to whisper. And when she was done, she made as if she was compressing the words she had released into her hands, pressing her palms together. When she was satisfied, she threw what looked like a small, red marble at the figure that had just advanced. Lena thought she saw a hand stretch out to catch the marble.

**_"How long till you reach the Ancient Palaces?"_**

_"Four days, Master."_

**_"By my power, you will do it in two days. By my command, you will neither rest nor eat until you have proceeded directly to my Chief Healer and given him this. Take heed. Rest as soon as you have given my orders. Without rest, your body will collapse if you try to go further than I have commanded, and you will die. Go now."_**

There was a slight movement under the cloak and the figure was gone.

_"We are grateful, Master."_

**_"How long has this famine ravaged your lands?"_**

_"About ten years now, Master."_

**_"And the war?"_**

_"Seven years, Master."_

Something rang clear through Lena. She knew Taja's sudden hesitation. She understood.

Seven years ago was when the last tournament was held. And it took Taja seven years to recover from her wounds. She knew her friend only too well. Taja had made the connection and was now getting angry, not at the figures in front of her, but at herself.

_"Taja, I know you can hear me. Calm down, please." _Lena was startled by Alex's voice inside her head. There was strain and effort in it. But it was no longer stained with fear.

Nonetheless, the pressure was building. Lena could feel the weight on her chest growing heavier, her throat tightening. She felt Kara's grip tighten around her wrist and she knew, at the back of her head, it will bruise. But it didn't seem so important now that they were going to die soon anyway.

**_"High Lord Taja, am I not your wife?"_** Alex's voice was strong and overwhelming. It was warm and loving, but powerful and insistent.

She wasn't sure if anybody else saw it, but Lena did. It was there, an almost imperceptible nod from Taja.

**_"Did you not promise to keep me safe?"_**

Another nod. Lena's vision was failing. She was getting lightheaded. She was no longer able to take in air and every exhale squeezed out whatever else she had stored in her lungs. Kara's hands on her were cold and tight.

**_"Then why am I dying?"_**

Lena watched as Taja's brow furrowed, heard Taja's knuckles crack, before air suddenly rushed back into her lungs and she could breathe again.

**_"It was my weakness that caused this war."_**

_"We should have informed you when you woke up, Master."_

"_Taj, ask them if they have a soil or a plant sample." _Lena was still gasping for air, but her mind was clearer now. She could help. Lena's mind was suddenly running at full speed.

If it was something in the soil that was causing their plants to wither and die, she could find it. It would be risky to bring something infected on Earth, but her lab was secure and isolated. Perhaps Taja could open the demon gate straight to her lab to lessen the risk of exposure to Earth's outside air. There were other risks, but she could manage it.

**_"My lords, did you bring an infected plant or a measure of the land that has been affected by this famine?"_**

_"We did not wish to spread the land's sickness as we travelled, Master."_

**_"Very well, your messenger will arrive at the Palaces in two days. At which point my Healers and their apprentices, including some engineers and workers, will depart for your lands. They will most likely take a full day before they arrive. I have instructed them to make a shelter where the children, the sick, the wounded and the elderly will be tended to, regardless of which side of the war they are in. They will also bring enough food to last a month._**

**_As for you, go back to your lands now and fill a small jar with soil that has been infected by famine but has not drank the blood of your people. Seal it completely. Fill another jar with uninfected soil situated near where the famine has hit. I will personally come and collect both jars in four days and to see what ails your lands._**

**_Needless to say, my lords, this war ends now."_**

_"High Lord, we do not deserve your pardon. We came knowing that our intrusion upon your land, especially on these days, will be our death. Your assistance has been most generous, do not spare us now."_

**_"No more blood will be shed on my account for now, my lords. Not even to ease my thirst."_**

_"Master, your thirst is dire, and we, your subjects, sense it. Let us ease your burden as you have eased ours again and again."_

**_"This realm is my burden. Rule your lands well and with care, as you have sworn to do, and you will ease my burden. My thirst is eternal and there is no cure for it._**

**_Go now."_**

_"But Master—"_

**_"One more word, my lords, and I will leave and solve this problem another way. I can just as easily travel to your lands now and unleash my wrath upon your people. None will be spared. Choose wisely."_**

All five remaining figures disappeared without another word. But the atmosphere remained just the same. It was still slightly constricting, heavy with fear.

"You're the one who's scared…" Kara said, out loud. Lena threw a warning look at Kara, who answered her with a smile and a shrug.

"Of course, I was. If they found out you were here…" Taja's voice was shaking.

"But they didn't." Alex stood up and walked towards Taja, who was still seated on her chair, motionless but for the slight shaking of her hand.

"My people were dying while I was trying to live. And then I nearly killed all of you. Forgive me if I don't feel so good about it." Taja insisted. Before Alex could reach her, Taja had stood up and distanced herself again.

"You know for an old lady, you sure are grumpy. Next thing we know you're gonna yell at us to get off your lawn." Kara sneered. Lena wasn't sure what Kara was playing at, but it didn't seem like the perfect time to tease an angry god.

"Kara's right." Alex said, sitting on Taja's chair. There was a moment when Lena thought Taja would actually tell Alex to get off her chair. But Taja hesitated, sighed, and said nothing, so Alex continued. "You're old by our standards and you've been doing this on your own for a long time. You lied to those people when you said this realm is your burden. This isn't your only burden. You carry our realm on your shoulders too. But instead of seeing the three of us as a burden, why can't you see us as we really are?"

"And what is that?"

"Family." Alex answered softly.

"I agree, Taj." Lena added. "We know we won't be here for a long time but use us while you got us. I know I'm hardly the authority on functional families, but this…this is it, Taj."

"Besides, isn't that why we're here?" Kara said. "Because you need to bring your family to your gathering. You could have said no to Lena. You could have asked me to stop Lena from wanting to join you. But you didn't. Instead of stopping us, you went and prepared everything for us. Because you knew you had to bring us. The same compulsion that overrides your fear of bringing Alex here, is the same reason why Lena and I are here too. You called Lena your sister and well…you called me your 'charge', whatever that means."

"Darling, she basically called you her protégé." Lena answered.

"Wait. What? I—I'm not…What are you talking about? Protégé?" Kara stammered, looking at Lena and Alex.

"Tell me she's noticed." Alex said, looking at Lena.

"I doubt it." Lena shrugged, smiling at Alex and then at Kara.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alex huffed, rolling her eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" Kara asked loudly.

There was no doubt in Lena's heart and mind that she absolutely loved Kara. Kara was everything Lena was not which made them perfect for each other. And while Kara have always paid attention to the things that matter, there were some things that she was adorably oblivious to.

"Let's see. You ran a marathon race for nearly six hours against two demon dogs for the first time…and you won." Lena started.

"Taja beats you within an inch of your life almost every day, you have not used the sun lamp once, and yet you still miraculously recover and are ready at any moment." Alex added.

"My markings have now reached halfway between my elbow and my shoulder whenever I—to borrow Alex Danvers' words—'beat you within an inch of your life' and all within the span of a few months, and yet you are still alive." Taja offered, her words lighter now.

It was only after Taja spoke that Lena noticed that the strangling feeling was gone, but she didn't want to ruin the moment and Kara was still confused so she let it go. Lena did, however, pay attention to Taja as she stalked towards Kara, the markings on her hand slowly crawling up.

"Pfft—what? That's not true." Kara huffed. "Lena, knows. I go to her place or at L-Corp after getting beat up. Tell them how awful I always look." Kara said, looking at Lena expectantly.

There was a blur and a loud 'thud' when Kara caught Taja's fist.

"I rest my case." Lena said, gesturing at Taja's arms, where the markings were now almost at her shoulder.

* * *

They had all proceeded to go outside, cloaks fastened around them, where Scarlet had managed to wrangle four chairs, made of smoothened tree stumps, and a table big enough to hold all the food Alex and Taja gathered earlier. There was also a pit where a fire was roaring, and meat was being roasted.

There was a moment where Lena, Alex and Kara all hesitated, before their stomachs all complained and they started eating anyway, and while Lena couldn't shake the feeling the there would be repercussions for eating demon fruits and vegetables and, in Kara and Alex's case, roasted demon meat, she also couldn't deny that they tasted just a little bit…more.

She looked at everyone on the table. Kara had become more animated, Alex was her usual reserved but warm self, and Taja was grinning at Kara's antics, her fangs gleaming.

"Everything okay?" Kara's voice broke through Lena's thoughts and she found herself staring at brilliant blue eyes.

"Everything's fine. I just…We were talking about family and I realized since I met you and Taja, I've started having meals with family that I actually enjoy. When I'm with you, I never have to question why you want to spend time with me, or what motives you have for inviting me over for dinner. It was never like this with Luthor family dinners. There was always an ulterior motive."

"Well, I can't speak for Fangs, but I always have an ulterior motive for inviting you to dinner." Kara said, smiling.

"Really? And what is that?"

Kara scooted closer and whispered.

"Yeah. I just have this massive crush on you. Not sure if I ever told you that. The doctor says it's serious and the only cure is being in constant contact with you."

Lena hummed. "Pity the richest person on Earth doesn't have a bedroom—" she leaned closer and kissed Kara deeply. It had, just now, occurred to her how much she missed kissing Kara, and so what was meant to be a chaste kiss was turning into something else and Lena wasn't sure she wanted to stop…and neither did Kara it would seem. Once again, it was only their need for air that stopped them. "—but I heard there's this fancy bathr—"

"Please don't have sex in Shadow's bathroom. I'm going to have to use that bathroom too and I do not want to know that my little sister has had sex in it." Alex said sternly, but the effect was somewhat diminished as she was practically sitting on Shadow's lap.

"Fine. We won't tell you if we had sex in the bathroom then." Kara said, grinning.

"But Shadow will know and she _will tell me_." Alex retorted, looking at Kara and Shadow.

"Sorry, Sunshine…" Shadow grinned back.

"Alex, you're going to have a problem if you refuse to use all the rooms Kara and I have had sex in, though." Lena said as she tried to keep her face straight.

"No. No don't tell me. Luthor, I swear to god I will personally make your life a living hell if you start naming all the places—"

"Kara's bathroom, for one." Lena started.

"Oh and the locker room at the DEO" Kara added.

"No…just…"

"Basically, everywhere in Kara's apartment." Lena continued.

"Oh yeah…the dining table and the couch has always been my favorite. Thanks for reinforcing those, by the way." Kara piled on, kissing Lena on the cheeks.

"You're welcome, darling."

"Shadow, help…please…"

"Also everywhere in my office."

"Both training rooms at the DEO."

"Shadow, make them stop."

"Both of you, stop it." There was no force behind Taja's words but one look in her eyes and Lena knew the conversation was over. It was fun teasing Alex, but not Taja…

"Ugh, fine. We'll keep it in our pants." Kara said, mock disgust betrayed by the grin she couldn't help.

"I suggest you gather your strength. We leave at sunrise. And this time, we will not stop running until sunset." Taja was addressing everyone, but she was specifically looking at Kara, her eyes fierce and bright.

* * *

"I can't sleep." Lena said, hours later. She honestly couldn't be sure if it was hours later.

The food had been too heavy and the past few hours had been taxing for their bodies, but Lena found herself awake. She had been situated in the middle of Kara and Alex who both fell immediately asleep as soon as their heads hit the soft furs of the makeshift bed. But Lena stayed awake, watching Taja read scroll after scroll, tablet after tablet under a single orb of light hovering just above whatever it was that Taja was reading.

The rest of the house was pitch dark. Lena was also aware of how quiet it was. She had spent some time in the woods when she was younger, and it was never this quiet. It was unsettling how quiet it was.

Taja stood up and offered her chair. "Let me get one of the smoothened stumps outside."

"Actually, do you mind if we take a walk?" Lena asked.

Taja nodded and walked towards the exit. Lena kissed Kara's forehead and murmured that'd she'd be back soon. She heard Kara murmur something back and smile.

"Something's troubling you." Taja stated as they walked in near perfect darkness. Their only source of light was an orb hovering a few feet before them. Lena could also make out Datu's silver eyes gleaming as he padded after them.

"Troubling…not really. It's just something I've been thinking about for some time now." Lena said plainly. It was one of the things she liked most about their friendship, Lena never found it too difficult to talk to Taja. In the few years they had been roommates, Lena and Taja had developed an almost uncanny talent of reading each other's thoughts…or at least understanding each other with as little context needed as possible.

"Regarding?"

"A back-up plan. I'm sure you already have one but would you care to share it?"

"I'm guessing you don't mean this trip."

"No."

Taja sighed but continued walking. "Currently, I only have one. But it is what you refer to as a 'nuclear option'."

"Don't tell me you're actually going to destroy our whole realm. There are multiple universes there. You would need—"

"I have enough." Taja cut her off, but the point came across to Lena clearly. Her friend has enough power stored inside her to collapse and destroy the multiverse. Lena had to admit, it was one hell of a 'nuclear option'.

"Okay…so I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. Any other ideas?"

"Recently, all my research has been devoted to finding a way to permanently seal the Demon gate. But that's not a very good plan. If I do lose the next tournament, the next High Lord can simply reverse that command. Only a few commandments cannot be overturned by the High Lord, and for that you'd have to be a god."

"And I suppose you've also thought about that option?"

"Yes, but there's not much in our written records that speak about how to become a god."

"And how does Kara fit into all of this?"

Taja's smiled. "Ah, I was wondering when you would bring her up."

"She is far stronger now than she has ever been, thanks to you. But I have never known you to do anything simply by the goodness of your heart, with Alex being the exception. There's always a reason behind everything."

"She has enough time. If I understand correctly, she will remain as she is as long as she has the yellow sun. At this rate, she can become powerful enough to become a demon lord by the next tournament, powerful enough to drive them back if it comes to that. Not alone, of course, but I haven't found anybody with the same biological capabilities as her. And no, I do not trust her cousin…"

"There's always technology too."

Taja did not respond but stopped walking to stare at Lena, a grin slowly forming on her lips.

"You…you know." Lena whispered. She had been keeping it a secret, even from Kara. Not that she didn't trust her girlfriend, but she wanted it to be a surprise, but also, she wanted to make sure it was foolproof. Except how could she actually explain to her girlfriend that she was creating a fully automated suit that can function remotely? Or that she was planning to make a whole army of them, in case Kara needed multiple helping hands? This was just not something you wanted a Luthor to create.

"Of course, I know."

"This is why you invested so much."

"I have near unlimited funds, Lena Luthor. You need only ask."

"How much of my projects do you know?"

"I have a pretty good idea, but trust when I say that I'm not spying on you. I've been in and out of your lab, it wasn't hard to guess. Besides, I know you still have Lex's red sun vial, the one your mother wanted you to reproduce. Though what you wish to do with it, I can only guess."

"It's not Lex's…"

"You made it." Lena heard no judgment from Taja, only the understanding that no one else could have possibly created it, other than her and Lex.

"I didn't know what it was when I did. Lex proposed it to me under the guise of a different project, and I figured the rest out only after he had gone mad. But it is a flawed and inefficient weapon. It takes a lot of energy to create something so small that wouldn't even kill a Kryptonian. Make her weaker, sure, but not for long."

"So why do you still have it?"

Lena shrugged. "Two reasons. First as a back-up plan. It's far safer than kryptonite and can render Kara unconscious without poisoning her. I am preparing it in the event that something invades her system that would need to be surgically removed. Second, if I can synthesize a red sun, then I can do the same for the yellow sun. Make Kara heal faster without needing bulky sun lamps. I just need to learn how to make it more efficiently."

"Are you planning on telling her that you have it?"

Lena hesitated. "One of our biggest arguments was when she found out I had kryptonite. The fight got worse when I confessed to knowing how to make more. I'm terrified to tell her I have something even more potent than kryptonite." There. She finally admitted it. It had scared her for far too long…it gnawed at her every second.

"But you are keeping it for good reasons." Again, it fascinated Lena how someone can carry on a dangerous conversation like this and not judge her. But, Lena reasoned to herself, Taja has had thousands of years to learn patience and understanding. And she has become so exceedingly good at it.

"Kara can be adamant when it comes to these things. And with good reason. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Anything that would place her at a disadvantage against her enemies just sets her off, understandably."

"And you're afraid that this could cause a bigger rift between you."

"I know the right thing to do is to tell her, of course. With all my diatribe about trust, I am beginning to sound like a hypocrite by not trusting her. It terrifies me though… I feel like whatever I do, I will lose her."

"Don't you think you're overthinking this? You have confessed to much worse, and yet she has managed to understand you. She is still able to see the other side of the coin, Lena Luthor, and it is only because the other side of the coin is you…logical, sensible, and always coming from a good place."

Lena sighed. She was suddenly so tired. She started looking around for somewhere to sit on when she felt soft fur against her back. "Thanks, Datu." she murmured as she leaned against the massive dog.

"Easier said than done when I only just got her back. Everyday, she risks her life fighting for people, and every time she comes back wounded, I feel the weight she carries. I worry about her constantly but if I'm going to be impartial, the biggest threat to her is me. I'm the only one that can synthesize all the things that can kill her. I am terrified of losing her, Taj. What if she never forgives me? What if she doesn't see things my way? But more than anything…I hate lying to her." Lena was faltering and she knew it. She could hardly keep herself up now as she sank deeper into Datu's fur.

Sensing this, the giant dog laid down and waited. Lena felt Taja carry her up Datu's back and it was the last thing she remembered before exhaustion and darkness took over.

* * *

She woke up to Kara's warmth radiating around her.

Another interesting fact: Lena wasn't much for cuddles…except the kind only Kara could give. Her girlfriend ran warmer than the average person and was such a cuddle monster, but Lena didn't mind. She loved how she would always wake up with at least an arm around her, in some cases, and depending on the night's _activities_, one whole body on top of her.

"We know you two are awake." Alex said, dryly. "Get up and get ready, the dogs are getting antsy and so is Shadow."

Kara mumbled something but let Lena go.

"Antsy?" Lena asked, regretting the sudden loss of warmth.

"Can't you hear it?" Alex asked.

And Lena did hear it. Whispers. Multitude of whispers. As if a whole host had shown up and were whispering outside.

"What is that?" Kara was now awake, her brows crinkling.

"The forest has come alive. They know their Master is coming." Alex answered.

* * *

**A/N: Hi! I'm back. Sorry for the delay again.**

**Life gets in the way sometimes, but this chapter was pretty fun to write. I always like writing things in Lena's perspective. The show has made her so complicated so there's much to draw from her.**

**I also wrote another "short story" with Taja as a guest somewhere. Hahaha.**

**Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions or suggestions, let me know too 😊**


	17. Chapter 17

_**DAY TWO**_

* * *

_Rao damn it all. Fangs wasn't kidding when she said we were running all day._

From what little sun she could see beneath the high and thick canopy of the forest that surrounded them, Kara could tell the sun was about directly above them, which meant they had been running for almost six hours now. As if it was bad enough that the dogs seemed to be running faster, Kara was sure there were things hidden in the darkness of the forest that were watching them.

Since they woke up, there had been hooting and rustling and whispers—distant, old, and in multitudes that seem like annoying buzzing—just out of sight but everywhere around them. She tried to use her X-ray vision but all she found were blobs that looked like they were made of static and trees.

As soon as they entered the forest, it grew louder, even more menacing, and it hadn't stopped. Fangs specifically said they were harmless for the most part, but she emphasized that they really shouldn't pay any attention to these noises. They had a lot of ground to cover and it was going to be a long day. But Kara was exhausted. She could feel the strain on her muscles setting in, and without the yellow sun, it was just getting worse.

She looked at Lena who was riding proudly on top of Datu, one of the twin puppies.

Lena was glancing at her every now and again, a mix of worry and something else that Kara could not place. She didn't have time to process this though as something pulsed inside of her, sending a dizzying wave throughout her body. The world was suddenly pulled beneath her feet as her knees gave way. The next thing she knew, she was hovering inches from the ground.

"Careful there, Sunshine. Lena Luthor would actually attempt to murder me if anything happens to you." Fangs' easy smile was on her as she carried Kara by the belt while running. "Rest now. You've done impressively well despite the lack of sun. Let me have the honor of carrying you the rest of the way."

Fangs easily maneuvered her so that the last thing she remembered before passing out was looking up at Lena, the broken pieces of sunlight shining down on her, making her almost ethereal. She could not have possibly fallen deeper in love with her at that moment.

* * *

When she woke up, she immediately knew something was wrong.

She was lying on the ground next to Fangs who had the most dangerous grin she had ever seen from the girl. Her markings rising and stopping between her elbow and shoulder. The two puppies were standing behind them, growling and baring their sharp and jagged teeth. Scarlet, Lena and Alex were nowhere to be seen. They were out of the forest and in what looked like rocky, craggy, flat lands. Huge pieces of stones were jutting out from the earth, like bare bones. It was dusty and dry somehow.

The sun was almost setting

"Oh good, you're awake. It's time to test your powers, Sunshine." Fangs said, her face unreadable.

"Where's Lena and Alex?" Kara asked, standing up and feeling like she slept for a thousand years.

"Hordes of lesser demons are barreling towards us and your first question is about my wife and yours. That's admirable." Fangs answered, pointing to a distant rumbling mass of something, quickly coming towards them.

"Fangs. Explain. Now." Kara demanded, her muscles tensing.

"Long story short, a stray branch grazed Lena Luthor. It wasn't so bad and I healed it almost immediately, but the scent of blood, no matter how fleeting it was, drove the inhabitants of the forest into a frenzy…and now they want more." Fangs shrugged.

"Arent you their High Lord? Can't you make them go away?" Kara asked as the demon horde drew closer, panic and worry thick in her voice.

"We have some time to spare. Don't you want to test out your full strength?" Again, there was that unreadable expression on her face. It was almost as if Fangs was grieving.

"Look, I'm like the most hopeful and optimistic person you will ever meet, but you can't use your powers right now and it's a 'four versus the hoard' situation. So, excuse me if I'm a little bit worried." Kara said warily.

"I don't mind that you think so little of me or the twins…but try not to think so little of yourself." Fangs answered, her voice dead.

When the hordes descended on them, Fangs was gone in a blur. In her wake were demons of all weird shapes and sizes strewn about. The two puppies moved past Kara and just barreled through, sending demon parts out in all directions. It was basically a blood bath for three as the sky suddenly turned into a misty sort of red.

But Kara didn't have time to dwell too much about it. They were coming for her now. Kara was surprised to find that, despite the cloak, she was able to move around easily.

This wasn't her first rodeo, but this was the first time she would be outnumbered by this much. They seemed slow and clumsy to her, their movements erratic and primal but didn't pose much threat. She found that she could dodge them easily and most get knocked out after a single punch. They were galaxies away compared to Fangs who she had been sparring with daily. When she punched them, she tried not sending them towards where Fangs and the two puppies were. It may be a different realm, but Kara Zor-El does not kill.

After about an hour of dodging, weaving, punching, and kicking, receiving barely any herself, the din had quieted down. The last of the demons had run away and back into the forest, chased by the twins. This was just as well because Kara was feeling the effects of the added gravity on her body.

"And you were worried…" Fangs said behind her, looking around. She was covered in so much blood, for a second Kara thought she was wounded. Her eyes were the brightest red Kara had ever seen them, and she looked like she was going to pounce on the next thing that bleeds. "Although I do wish you had killed them all."

"No. No killing." Kara answered, out of breath. Her muscles were sore, her black cloak looked gray from all the dust, and she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Again, admirable, but that's not going to work here. Remember this is a world that is starved of human flesh. If word gets out that they had smelled human blood from someone other than me, we will have a big problem." Fangs answered without a hint of hesitation.

"But they are your people. Don't you want to give them a chance?"

"I did. These are the ones who refused to eat anything but human flesh. Their hunger has turned to madness, but they won't die. They haunt these forests, waiting to take their vengeance on me. Besides, in their weakened and starved state, they are the most vulnerable. I let them stay here where they would be relatively safer from the rest of the realm. Killing them now would be an act of mercy."

Kara couldn't move. She knew what Fangs was saying made sense, but her rule about not killing anyone is so entrenched in her, even if she did have the energy to go around and kill them, she still wouldn't be able to. But now that she's looking at them, she understood. They were too far gone. There was nothing but hunger in their eyes, and pain.

"The twins will take you to Lena Luthor and Alex Danvers. I'll catch up with you." Fangs' voice was suddenly pained. Kara had no heart to argue anymore.

She hadn't even noticed that the twins were back, their moonlight-colored coats streaked with red, both snouts and fangs still dripping with blood. Datu lied down and waited patiently as Kara scrambled to climb his back. Her arms and legs were so sore, she couldn't believe it had just been about an hour.

As soon as she was settled, the twins set off.

The sun was warm on her face and she could feel herself being renewed. A few seconds later, Kara Zor-El would fall asleep for the second time that day.

* * *

She opened her eyes to the sound of something whining. The sun was almost gone but the two puppies were still going. They had stopped sometime in the middle of their journey to wash off their fur and snout and, in Kara's case, her dusty face and hands (there really was nothing she could do about the cloak since she couldn't take them off). And when they all judged themselves to be as clean as they can be, it was Lakan's turn to carry Kara…and the third time Kara fell asleep.

When she saw the looming obsidian form of Scarlet in the distance, she knew why the twins had woken her up. Behind Scarlet was a rocky mountain, without a hint of any other color than gray, black and white. She wasn't sure how she didn't notice the mountain earlier, but it stood before them now, imposing and majestic. The top was covered in dark clouds…and it was eerily quiet now.

Not waiting for Lakan to bend down, Kara jumped off and barely had time to catch Lena who was running to meet her.

"Thank god you're okay." Lena murmured as her face settled into the crook of Kara's neck.

Kara was about to say something in response when she saw Alex streak past her with impressive speed.

The next thing Kara heard was the sharp snap of skin hitting skin.

Kara and Lena both turned around to find a stunned expression on Fangs, an impossibly red mark on her face. Alex was holding her own wrist and visibly shaking.

"How dare you put my little sister in that kind of danger?!" Alex was livid.

"Alex—" Kara tried to reason but was cut off.

"Shut it, Kara. You do not get to defend her." Alex said without turning to Kara. Fangs was quiet, the stunned expression on her face was gone now, only to be replaced by something Kara had never seen on the demon's face before: _regret_.

"I called to you, begged you not to take Kara with you. I saw how many they were. You did not need Kara there. You could have taken them on by yourself. I have spent my entire adult life taking care of her, watching helplessly as she sacrifice her body for the sake of humanity, and you risk all that just so what? You can show off to her? I thought you knew better than to endanger all that I love—" Alex was about to say more when Fangs spoke in the gentlest voice Kara had ever heard.

"You are right, Alex Danvers. I apologize. I will never again needlessly risk the life of Kara Danvers."

Without waiting for Alex's response, Fangs walked towards Kara and Lena and bowed ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, Sunshine. I'm sorry too, Lena Luthor. It will never happen again."

Perhaps sensing that Lena was about to say something, Fangs shook her head, walked away and was gone in a blur.

Kara felt Lena push her off and stomp angrily towards Alex. She knew what was going to happen but really didn't know what to do, much less wanted to be in the middle of another fight between the two most stubborn and proud people she knew.

To be honest, Kara would prefer fighting the horde again than stand in the middle of the two women she loved the most.

"That was uncalled for, Alex." Lena's voice was measured but angry.

"No. She did not have the right to risk Kara's life like that. I would have thought that being Kara's girlfriend, you would at least feel the same way." Alex spat back, equally measured and just as angry.

"Was I worried? Yes. But I know Taja. She would never risk any of our lives without counting the cost. And clearly, she was right. Kara is here, safe and sound."

"Unfortunately, we can't all be as cold and calculating as you both are."

Kara really wanted to intervene, but she knew she couldn't. And even if she did, she would just be shot down.

Lena's voice had gone down and Kara knew it was well and truly impossible to step in now. "True. I am cold and calculating. But at least I am not blind."

"Blind? What are you reaching for, _Luthor?_"

"Did you even think for a second that perhaps this is the first time, in a very long time, that she has a friend who could fight alongside her in her own realm? Granted, Kara doesn't measure up to her strength, but at least she could fight those things. Did you even consider that maybe she just needed a break from the stress of keeping three very vulnerable off-worlders safe here? And for one who claims to care about her, who flourishes in the near unlimited love and affection Taja has for you, you sure didn't even care about the fact that she looked like she just buried her family all over again when she arrived after Kara."

Alex missed her beat. There was doubt there, and Kara could see it, but Lena wasn't done.

Unbeknownst to Kara and Lena, Lena was about to twist deeper the knife that had been stabbing Alex's heart for quite some time now.

"Do you even love her?"

* * *

Scarlet, in the middle of all the fighting, had somehow erected a huge black tent behind them. She had also spread out on a makeshift table some of the food they had packed. Alex had stormed off towards the tent and Lena was mad for a fraction of a second longer before her gaze turned to Kara.

"I…I may have gone too far. I should apologize." Lena said quietly, all the anger in her voice gone now.

"Maybe let Alex simmer down first. It will just be worse if we push her now." Kara suggested, rubbing the small of Lena's back in assurance.

Lena nodded. "Look, I understand why she was worried. But that slap was undeserved…and Taja's my best friend too. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing."

"I understand. And you're actually right. I wasn't in any danger. There were so many of them but they seemed slow and a punch could throw them off and knock them out. But Alex is still my sister, she can't help but worry." Kara said, gently.

Lena was silent for a while. They stood there, on the same spot while Kara waited for Lena. In the years that she had known Lena, Kara knew that a quiet Lena meant a thinking Lena, and it was never quite productive, or at all safe, to disturb her. So she settled for memorizing Lena's face again. Burning more and more of Lena's features to her memory.

"Did something happen? Because Taja looked just so devastated when she arrived." Lena asked when she finally broke her silence.

Kara hesitated. "Th—Those were the demons that refused to assimilate when Taja became High Lord and banned the slaughter of humans, I think. Over time they were driven mad with hunger. According to Fangs, she lets them live in her forest, where no one else will touch them. And, well, I refused to kill them…you know me. So she had to. And she might have buried all of them too. I felt her use her powers when the puppies and I were washing up. I wonder where she's gone now."

"I'm a little bit worried because I have never seen her that…_devastated_." Lena admitted, wringing her hands.

"Do you want us to go and look for her?" Kara suggested. She felt rested enough to go walking some more. And any time she could spend alone with Lena was always just worth it.

Lena was about to say something when Scarlet appeared behind them, silent as a shadow, despite her size.

"Master Luthor, young Master Danvers, it is time for you both to eat and rest. Do not worry about the Master. There is nothing here at present that can harm her, save herself and Master Danvers."

* * *

Dinner was awkward and quiet.

At least during the times when Eliza and Alex would fight, there was small talk around the table. But Lena and Alex were different. They were both quiet and adamantly refused to engage Kara in her attempts at conversation. Eventually, Kara gave up and ate silently. The only time Alex said anything to them was before she walked out of the tent.

The tent, as with Fang's house, was completely devoid of personality. It had the bed rolls and a stack of heated stones in the middle which warmed the entire tent. The tent was black as night inside and out and the rocky and dusty floor was covered in what looked like tatami mats laid side by side.

"I'm sleeping outside. Don't follow me." was all she said before walking out. Kara looked at Lena who shared her concern.

"You know I won't let her sleep outside, right?" Kara turned to Lena who was preparing for bed.

Lena only smiled and nodded before gesturing her to go outside. Kara swooped in and kissed Lena deeply, almost regretting the fact that they had to stop.

"I'll be back for more of that." Kara said huskily, biting Lena's lower lip before sighing and walking towards the entrance of the empty tent.

She found Alex resting on Lakan's side, his massive shaggy tail serving as a sort of blanket. To be honest, and if it wasn't for the dark and brooding look that Alex had, she looked so comfortable, Kara wanted to try and see if Datu will let her and Lena do the same.

There was a small bonfire beside them, casting shadows on Alex's face.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?" Kara said, gently.

Alex huffed but patted the space beside her.

Needing no further prompt, she scooted beside her sister and was right, Lakan's fur was softer and much better than the already soft bed rolls they had inside the tent.

Kara waited. There was no point in prodding Alex further. Just like Lena, if Alex wanted to talk, she would talk. So Kara settled on watching the night sky and was treated to a beautiful view of a billion twinkling stars of varied colors. There was no moon though.

When Alex finally spoke, her voice was gentle, almost a whisper.

"Every time you go out to do your missions, it's like a piece of my heart is out there, just wandering around in the world, and it's on its own and I can't protect it. I can't protect _you_. And no matter what—I mean, there's always gonna be danger. But I can't always be there for you…and this is…this is not—" Alex was gasping, trying to find her words, but perhaps knew that in her heart, no words could ever describe the love and the overwhelming instinct to protect her sister…so Kara held Alex as she cried.

After she had calmed down for a bit, she continued. "And for Taja to be so reckless of the people of that I love…I can never forgive that, Kara."

"You're right. There's always going to be danger. And especially in this realm where we are basically meals for majority of its inhabitants. But believe me, I was never in any danger, Alex. And what Fangs did—I think I understand why she brought me with her." Kara explained as evenly as she could, hoping that Alex would listen. When Alex didn't reply, Kara continued.

"You were right to say she could have taken them on. The twins could have taken all of us far away from Fangs before she needed to use her power and it would have been the end of it. Instead, she chose to have me there, flanked by two massive puppies. It was overkill. I bet if you were there, they would have been easy pickings for you. Most of them were weaker than humans, anyway. But…these were her subjects. You saw how she was last night. She cares for them more than she lets on. And she had to kill them to save us. It was not the most pleasant thing to do and she needed a friend."

Alex sighed.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this…but I think Lena was right. _Do not tell her I said that._"

Kara smiled. "You know, she's almost always right. Her opinion on things are radical and annoyingly logical, but somehow, she's just right. I think she balances out my impulse with her logic. So what is she right about this time?"

"That I was unfair to Taja." Hesitantly, she added, "—and that I may not feel for Taja the same way she feels for me."

Slowly, carefully, Kara turned to Alex.

"You feel nothing for her at all?" Kara asked quietly.

"Don't get me wrong, Kar. Taja is beautiful and kind and gentle. It is nearly impossible not to be attracted to her—"

"—I'm not attracted to her—"

"That's because you are Lena-sexual." Alex deadpanned.

"That's true." Kara nodded.

"Meanwhile, I'm here undeniably attracted to her. I like being around her. I like her company. I literally spent the last few months just wanting her in my orbit all the time. I get sad when she's not at home, waiting for me; worried when she doesn't come immediately when I call her…but do I love her?"

"…I'm confused, Alex. What does 'love' mean to you? Because what you said sounds like you're in love."

"Then why do I not worry for her like I do for you? I mean, yes when she was gone without a word, I worried for her. But now, every time she comes back here, she tells me in advance and I'm not worried. I miss her, yes—sure. But for some reason, I know she will always come back. And she's always so willing to lay her life down, to sacrifice her own comforts, just to be with me…when I don't even know if I can do the same for her."

Alex stood up and began pacing.

"She hasn't even asked me to love her back. When she introduced herself to me, months ago, all she asked was to be given a chance to show me how much she loves me, to show me that she is worthy…a chance, Kara. That's all she asked. One chance."

Kara weighed her words. She wasn't really the best at this. Alex always had the right words…but now Alex looked so lost.

"Maybe because she's not asking you to love her the way she loves you. Kind of like how she doesn't expect me to be as powerful as her."

"And what if I can never love her?"

"Knowing her…she will accept even your companionship at the bare minimum and consider that pure joy. But Alex…this does not mean you have to do the same for her. You have an entire lifetime to figure out how to love her best _as Alex Danvers_. Besides, I don't see her complaining." Kara could have added all those nights she caught Fangs hanging out on top of nearby apartment buildings, watching Alex sleep from a distance. She could have added that every time Fangs would join her on a mission, the only reason why she would not kill was that she didn't want to disappoint Alex.

Honestly, it really was a pressure to match that kind of commitment and adoration, not to say anything of love, that Fangs had for her sister. But she was immortal and so has had thousands of years to grow her love for Alex.

Meanwhile, Alex had to reset and go back to zero all the time.

"And if I tell her this, do you think she will understand?" Alex had stopped pacing and was now glumly staring at the bonfire.

"Are you worried she won't like you anymore when you tell her you can't love her the way she loves you?"

"…yes?" Alex groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Kara laughed. She didn't mean to, but she laughed anyways.

"Listen, I'm sure she's just out there sulking around, but she's coming back. And when she does, you apologize and you tell her what's been troubling you. Then you both can figure it out from there…Besides, I'm pretty sure, over all your reincarnations, you've done worse and she still loves you."

Alex's head snapped up, and Kara could almost swear she saw something change in Alex's eyes.

"I _hav_e done worse." Alex said, quietly. Kara listened intently as Alex told her the same story Fangs told her on their date.

Kara was speechless for a second. "Wow that was dark. Remind me never to get on her bad side."

Alex shook her head. "She's too fond of you, you know that right? She looks at you the same way she looks at Lena. Like she would destroy the world for you, if you asked."

"I don't know about that, Alex. Have you seen the way she beats me up every day? Even now, when I could just ride with you guys, she forces me to run. I've spent most of my time here sleeping or running or fighting." Kara complained as she walked towards Alex, sitting beside her near the bonfire.

"You only say that because you don't see the concern on her face when she heals you every time you pass out. I told you, you haven't used the sun lamps in a very long time. That's mostly because since she started training you, you haven't faced an enemy you couldn't quite easily beat up, and when you do pass out from training, she heals you herself. And every time she does, she gets this worried look on her face, only to be replaced by relief when you start murmuring about needing to go see Lena."

"…speaking of Lena, how are you two, really?" Alex continued when Kara didn't say anything.

"We're good. It's a little bit hard to squeeze a time together since we're both so busy. So, I fully abuse the fact that I could fly to her whenever. I'm also thinking of moving to a bigger place and asking her to move in with me." Kara answered hesitantly.

"That's wonderful, Kar! But…doesn't she have like this big house at the edge of the city?"

"Yeah, but she spends most of her days in my apartment anyways, almost like she doesn't even want to spend time in her home. I think it's actually because my place is closer to both our offices. But I wouldn't say no to moving in with her there, if she asked. I could just fly her in and out, easy."

Alex laughed, much to Kara's confusion.

"Look at us Danvers sisters, so whipped." Alex said, smiling. "But I'm glad you have her. You're both good for each other, you know? The yin to her yang or something like that."

Kara smiled back and rested her head on Alex's shoulder. "And I'm glad you have a literal god for a wife-slash-girlfriend. I know I don't have to worry about you, but knowing she's there when I can't just makes me feel better."

They talked together for a little bit longer until Alex yawned and said she was going back to the tent.

Kara decided to join her and just as they were walking back to the tent, the clouds covering the top of the mountain before them cleared and Kara's jaw dropped.

When Fangs detailed their plans, she wasn't exaggerating when she said that the mountain had nothing but sharp rocks. Even from the foot of the mountain, Kara could see gray pointed stones jutting out. There didn't even seem to be a path to the top.

_How the hell am I supposed to climb that?_

* * *

**_A/N: _**Sorry for the delay but I would love to know what you think. Any ideas? Please let me know.

Also, hi Jennifer. I see you and I appreciate you so much 3


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